บท 1: Prologue (1/2)

//Heads up!! Vex Masters is from an alternate world where the Pokemon franchise does not exist so he doesn't have a single clue what a Pokemon is.....enjoy the long ass chapter.

The sunlight shone down brightly, piercing straight through the sky and brightening up the dazzling green hillside where a lone young boy was lying unconscious. This, provided with the scenery of a town in the background made for a very picturesque landscape, as if it was a scene from a movie or cartoon. The sunlight reflected off the boy's fluffy white hair and black beanie. Besides those two oddities, the boy looked average in every way, average height, clothes, looks...he was just bland and didnt look like he was anything special.

Vex Masters slowly opened his heterochromatic eyes, blue and gold squinting as the light from the sun temporarily blinded him, bright rays unfettered by a single cloud. He felt really strange and slightly light headed, like he had been inside of a dream for a long time. The last thing he remembered was a flash of light, searing pain, and then a slow feeling of becoming cold and stiff. The whole thing was slightly traumatizing, it had given him the impression that he had actually died, but that didn't seem to be the case. The cool breeze that blew over his face, the warmth of the summer sun, the feeling of grass beneath him, all of this served as a reminder that he was still alive.

The sky was so blue and beautiful out here, a color he had forgotten the sky could take as, for the past week, his hometown of New York City had been plagued by a number of mysterious storm clouds that had painted the sky a shade of black that Vex had never seen before. It had been a peculiar event, one that made Vex glad to once again see the endless expanse of a light blue sky. However, while he did want to enjoy a nice relaxing nap here on the lush grass beneath him, he had things that needed to be done and classes that he had to be present for. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Vex took a look around and nearly passed out once again from sheer shock and atonishment, because what he saw brought back the possibility that he was dead.

He was on a grassy slope that overlooked a rather large scale town that had various houses scattered about like dice thrown across a game board. Though this didnt prove he was dead, the mysterious creature looking like a rather large purple rat with square buck teeth that ran past definitely did. Either he was dead or having a dream, it was only one of two as there wasn't any other possibility that Vex could think of in his current state of panic.

He wasn't that good with dealing with the impossible and usually only accepted the rational, completely rejecting the notions of anything that science couldn't explain. This was one of those moments that he just couldn't cope, that his senses just couldn't handle. Honestly though, this was exactly how any normal person would react when faced with something impossible, denial or shock.

Vex took deep breaths, an attempt to steady his rapidly beating heart and help clear his mind from the never ending tide of thoughts and theories that were running through his head. His brain, like most normal humans, pushed away the unexplainable and then tried to rationalize them through various scientific, mechanical, or spiritual processes until the brain accepted whatever idea that made the most sense to that person. In Vex's case, his brain came up with the brilliant idea that this was a simple dream and nothing more, that none of this was even remotely real. After his brain accepted that it wasnt real, his body started to slowly regain a modicum of normalcy, a perfect example of how one's state of mind affected one's body.

Once Vex had calmed down, he finally attempted to stand up, deciding that, since this was nothing but a dream, he might as well have a look around. He rose to his feet, pushing himself off the ground while brushing the dirt off the seat of his pants. The next step was to decide which way to go, though Vex didnt really like the thought of moving into an unknown area without proper preparations. However since this was supposed to be only a dream he didnt plan on stopping just to prepare for any eventualities that might occur. No one stopped to try to prepare themselves while in a dream, it just didn't make any sense. With all caution thrown out the proverbial window, Vex didn't even hesitate.

"Okay," Vex said to himself as he pivoted a full 360 degrees, his eyes scanning the surroundings, "Which way should I go then?" He was having an internal debate, but managed to narrow it down to two places. The first direction was the town, the same path the large purple rat had taken. The second path was in the complete opposite direction, a dirt path that lead to a far away hill. Sitting at the peak was a large two story building with an fresh looking wind turbine standing behind it, the combination making Vex feel quite curious about it. Just as he was thinking of strolling towards the town, Vex noticed movement out the corner of his eyes. In the far distance, a figure in a white lab coat was making his way up the incline of the hill. This shifted his attention completely away from the houses and made him focus on the moving figure heading to the pinnacle of said hill. Vex eventually nodded to himself as he began a steady jog down the path leading to away from the town, his mind made up about which way he wanted to go.

The hill was actually a lot farther away then it had first appeared, taking Vex about twenty minutes just to get to the base even though he had been jogging the whole way. The figure in a white lab coat he had seen before had disappeared into the building at the top long before he had reached the base. There was a straight path that lead directly to the two story tall building and everything to the right of the path appeared to be nothing but forest. The safest path up was definitely the trail and since Vex wasnt really much of a risk taker he decided that the path was the better option rather then taking a stroll through a forest of tree.

Vex began a slow trek up the dirt path, enjoying the details that this lucid dream held. It was by far the most detail oriented dream that he had ever had; he amazed that his imagination could even be so vivid. It was just great that he had the chance to experience something as amazing as this and hoped he'd remember it when he woke up the next morning. It took him ten minutes to reach the top of the hill, but only because he was constantly stopping to appreciate the view the tall hill provided of the scattered houses and beautiful surroundings.

After getting his fill of the scenery, Vex turned his attention to the building, getting a close look at the structure of it. Though it was nothing compared to the buildings they had back in his hometown of New York it still had its own appeal. To put it simply, the view was rather breathtaking for something that had been created in Vexs head. Shaped like a giant sideways "P", the establishment was reminiscent of a doctors office that Vex had once visited, but on a much grander scale. Numerous windows lined the first and second floor, each and every square inch of the place was clean and well maintained, including the walls and even the roof.

Though the edifice was attractive, he didnt stand there admiring it for too long as he approached the entrance of the building. The door was made of thick glass with a complex metallic doorknob that held a keypad above it. Vex moved his face up to the glass and peered through in an attempt to see if there was anyone inside, but all he saw was big room with a small counter and a hallway off to the side with doors lining the side of it. When he didnt spot a single soul anywhere he tried his luck on the door, and surprisingly enough, it simply popped open with a single sound. To be quite frank, the young man hadn't expected it to open so easily, figuring it would've been locked.

Vex eased opened the door and slipped inside, silently shutting it behind him as he took a few steps into the room. From what he could see just from a quick scan of the interior, this was the front room, a section where people came to visit, a sort of lobby where many could congregate and sit to chat. Vex, who still thought this was all just one big dream, was about to go exploring, when a loud bang sounded out, echoing off the walls as a door to the right of him was blown apart into tiny fragments. From the opening of the wrecked doorway, a strange creature darted almosg quicker then Vex could follow. It was small and yellow, looking a bit similar to a mouse but with a crooked yellow tail at the end of it. The creature had straight longish ears that were black on the tip, a cute face with big black eyes and two red dots on either side of its cheek. This creature ran down the hall at a surprisingly rapid speed, skidding to a halt right in front of him.

Vex was confused, staring at the creature as the creature stared back, curiousity deep in its eyes as they held each others gaze. Right when Vex was about to kneel down and pet the weird creature, a shout rang out from down the hall and an elderly figure with gray hair and a kind face appeared from around the corner. The creature, after seeing the man, ran around Vex and jumped onto his back, climbing onto his shoulder, as if trying to encourage Vex to protect him. The elderly man glared at the creature, but it quickly turned into a smile as he noticed the young man who had walked into the building.

((Did this guy just smile at me?)) Vex thought as he glanced from the man to the weird mouse creature on his shoulder. ((I'm an intruder who just barged in without prior consent and without a solid reason for doing so. Even for a dream, this guy is weird. Sure seems nice though.))

"I'm deeply sorry for the way that that Pikachu is behaving, he never climbs on anyones shoulder. He usually shocks them!!" The elderly man reached out to touch the creature he had called Pikachu but pulled back when something yellow flashed between the mans hand and the creatures cheek. He didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that Vex was an uninvited guest. In fact, he seemed delighted and completely at ease."Ya see? You're the only person who he's ever climbed on, whats your name kid?" He tried once again to grab Pikachu but the flash of yellow lit up once again, forcing him to retract his hand.

((Who is this guy? Why is he so calm? Is he used to people barging in or is he just a nice guy?)) Vex couldn't figure it out. If it was any of the adults he knew then he would've already been called out and reprimanded. However this guy merely smiled and avoided the topic altogether, never asking about why he was here or where he came from. It was all just so strange.

"My name is Vex Masters," Vex replied after a few seconds, his thoughts drifting towards whatever the strange light had been. If the old man wasn't going to bring it up then he wouldn't bother with it either. "What is this creature? Is it some sort of mutant mouse." He reached out his hand cautiously expecting the yellow light, but when none came, he reached out hand began to rub his hand over the creatures head. The creature named Pikachu closed its eyes and rubbed its head affectionately against Vex's hand, completely stunning the old man.

With a look of curiosity on his visage, the elder turned around and walked back down the hallway from where he came at a rather brisk pace. Vex decided to follow him, somewhat as to who this man was and where he was going; eager to find out more information.

The man had ran into the room whose door had been completely shattered by the Pikachu. While the outside was a mess of wooden shards, the inside of the room seemed to be perfectly intact. Drawers and cabinets lined one side of the room with a sink in the middle of it, even having a microwave on one of the countertops. On the other side stood peculiar and mysterious looking machines that Vex had never seen before, things he probably couldn't just buy in any Amazon store. The machines held his gaze for a few seconds longer before his different colored hues focused on the old man.

The man was currently typing up on a thing that looked like a combination of a computer and an old school arcade game, like the one Vex used to play pacman on. "Vex Masters, Vex Masters," The elder kept repeating the name over and over again, though Vex wasn't entirely sure why.

"There aren't any pokemon trainers who go by that name, nor any pokemon tamer, performer, breeder, or anyone related to Pokemon as far as my computer can tell." The old man glanced at Vex, a curious look coming over his face. "Young man, do you know what a pokemon is?" The question clearly held a lot of weight to it, but once again Vex was confused. He didn't know what the man was talking about, not understanding a word of his muttering or even when he spoke clearly to him.

Vex shook his head and readjusted the beanie on his head. "Sorry sir, really can't say that I do? I'm not really familiar with the word Pokemon." Vex didnt see any particular problem with this but apparently it greatly interested the old man as he began writing down something into his computer. The elderly man glanced at Vex again, his curiousity seemed to have grown even stronger. "Well before I start explaining things to you, you should know that my name is Professor Oak, a pokemon professor and the owner of that Pikachu which seems to have attached itself to your shoulder.

Vex looked over at the creature and it looked back at him with a smile which ruled out it being a mouse since he was sure that mice didn't smile. "Pika Pika," the Pikachu said, but what Vex heard in his head was "What's up?" Remembering that this was a dream, he immediately accepted this and smiled back at the strange mouse like creature. He turned his attention back to Professor Oak, now really curious as to what a 'Pokemon' was. "You should sit before I explain in case you fall down from my explanation. Pokemon is my strong suit and I think I know what happened to you. Well I have a few theories anyways."

Vex shrugged and sat down, the Pikachu sliding off his shoulder and moving to lay in his lap, the yellow ball of energy closed its eyes and became completely still despite its occasionally twitching tail. The Professor, still slightly amazed at this sight, brought over a whiteboard and an Expo marker before beginning his lecture.

"This world is inhabited by creatures that are known as Pokemon," The Professor began as if preparing to dive headfirst into a long-winded speech. "Every Pokemon possesses abilities and powers special to each type and species. To put it simply, I believe it was because of a Pokemon that your in this condition!"

"A Pokemon?" Vex asked, his interest being piqued. "What condition did this said Pokemon put me in?"

"I have three theories. The first being that you're in a state of hypnosis. You've been put in a state where Pokemon are weird creatures and nothing more. My second theory is that youve had your memories subsequently erased and have just woken up with only the memory of your name." Professor Oak wrote down the two theories with lightning quick efficiency, putting them under a category called "Most Likely". "My last theory although hard to prove is that you simply come from a world without Pokemon and were brought here for some special purpose. This one lacks evidence though and could be seen as a silly joke. Its just a thought that crossed my mind."

Vex laughed a little, not taking any of what Professor Oak said too seriously. This was still a dream to him so he simply shrugged off everything that was said to him.

"Setting that topic aside, I would like to give you a brief explanation about Pokemon if thats okay. Of course this particular subject could take a while so I'll just sum it up and give you something thats similar to a shortcut." The Professor turned around and picked up a red, flat, rectangular object with a big bulb near the top and three small lights to the left of it. "This is a Pokedex, a device thats not quite completed yet but will be quite helpful for you in surviving the world. As I cant guide you myself, this device will help you whenever possible. It contains vast information on Pokemon including descriptions, moves, stats, as well as a trainers ID."

Vex was confused but he had long since started to just roll with things as he took the Pokedex from Professor Oak's hands. The device had a button on the side and, when he pressed it, a panel popped open revealing various buttons and a tiny screen that showed his face, though when it had taken a picture of him he didn't have any idea. This whole thing was more then a bit perplexing but, still using the excuse of a mere dream, Vex was able to cope with the changes as the Professor proceeded to tell him how to use the Pokedex. He then shifted to other topics regarding Pokemon like pokeballs and how one was supposed to catch a pokemon inside of it. This was when the concept of pokeballs first came into play as the Professor walked up to a weird machine in the center of the room and pressed a button on it. From that machine rose 3 perfectly round balls, but these were much more interesting. Each one was red on top and white on the bottom with a button that divided the two colors apart.

The Professor grabbed one of the balls and asked Vex to take a step back, though he was still sitting on the floor, so Vex had no choice but to scoot back until he felt he was far enough away. The Professor then pressed the middle button and the ball opened. There was a small flash of light, temporarily blinding him, before it disappeared rather quickly leaving behind a strange creature that resembled a turtle but was blue and stood on two legs. "Squirtle squirtle," The creature said as he looked around.

'Holy crap its a blue Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' Vex thought as he looked on in amazement. 'I'm gonna call him Leonardo.' The Pokemon finished looking around before fixing its gaze on Vex, its look changing into one of intrigue, the same one Pikachu had when it had first looked at him.

"This is Squirtle," The Professor explained as Vex looked on in wonder. "Do you get it yet Vex Masters? This world is inhabited by creatures that walk alongside us, that we try to understand each day." The Professor closed the ball and pressed the button again. The blue turtle turned red and disappeared in a flash of red light. "We are surrounded by things we dont understand which is why we study Pokemon, to understand better. This isnt a world for only humans, this is a world for fantastical creatures. A world of Pokemon!!!"