Chapter 4: Out Of The Blue

A hint of golden sunlight peeked through a crack in the window shades, lighting the entire room in a deep shade of orange.  I awoke just after dawn, sitting up and looking around in a moment of confusion before remembering where I was.  Beside me, Mira lay curled up in a ball of fur, breathing in a peaceful rhythm.  Sleeping next to her was Pyro, apparently having moved up onto the bed during the night, warmth radiating out from the glowing splotches on his back.

I quietly climbed out of bed, trying not to disturb their peaceful slumber, albeit unsuccessfully.  Pyro stirred slightly, opening one eye and noticing my departure, raised his head.  I motioned to my lips for silence.

"Shhh, I'm gonna get cleaned up, then we can all have breakfast."  Nodding, he slowly stretched out his legs, being careful not to wake Mira as I entered the adjoining bathroom.

By the time I was ready, Mira and Pyro were fully awake, sitting on the windowsill and gazing out at the surrounding park.  From the second floor, I could just make out a few buildings at the border to downtown, peeking through the dense canopy; you could probably consider the park more of a well-tended woodland than an urban green.  Now well into morning, the sun shone brightly, just a few fluffy clouds visible in the azure sky.

"You two ready for breakfast?"

Crying out in enthusiasm, they jumped down from the sill and followed me out of the room.



Interestingly, the pokémon center was not only a hospital, but also contained everything a trainer would conceivably need: a convenience store for supplies, a small café, even free rooms and food for any registered trainer.  Starving, we passed through the sparsely populated lobby and headed straight for the café; I'd buy supplies after we ate.  It wasn't a hugely impressive establishment, only a dozen small tables and booths with minimal decoration, but it served its purpose keeping trainers and their pokémon fed.  The breakfast rush almost filled the place, with most of the tables bustling with other trainers and their partners.

After looking over the menu, I ordered some pancakes, and some pokémon food specialized for normal and fire-types.  It appeared that regular pokémon food consisted of the generic granular 'kibble', although the higher-quality entrées looked almost tasty enough for a human to eat.  Both Mira and Pyro seemed excited, bounding around the small booth, gazing at the other people and pokémon, mouths watering at the heaping bowls of food.

I tried to catch their attention.  "After breakfast, I want to try to travel back to my home.  Do you both want to go with me?"  Mira immediately nodded her head vigorously, while Pyro wore an indifferent expression; he probably agreed reluctantly, if only to accompany Mira.

"Aw, don't be shy, it'll be an adventure!"  I patted Pyro on the head and he glumly smiled.  While we waited for our food, I quietly browsed the pokédex, watching them caper around in their seat out of the corner of my eye.  I thought it would be a good idea to learn as much as I could about this world, starting with the pokémon.

Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon
Height: 0'11.8"
Weight: 14.3 lb

Eevee is able to adapt to a variety of environments, due to its unique ability to evolve to one of seven forms.  Because of its rarity, Eevee living in populated areas are quickly captured; consequently, wild Eevee are only found in remote places uninhabited by humans.

Like other pokémon that use elemental stones to evolve, some of Eevee's evolution paths can only be triggered by exposure to the corresponding elemental stone.  However, like any normal evolution, the process is still completely voluntary and can be resisted if the change is undesirable.


Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon
Height: 1'7.7"
Weight: 17.4 lb

Native to forests and grasslands, Cyndaquil is a good choice for starting trainers.  Cyndaquil's mood and strength can be judged by the amount of heat, or size of flames, on its back.

Usually very shy, Cyndaquil usually become much more active and adventurous once they evolve.  Until becoming proficient with fire, a Cyndaquil can rely on the flames on its back for protection.

Our food finally arrived, a heaping plate of pancakes for me, and two medium-sized bowls of pokémon food.  Mira and Pyro immediately began devouring their meal, almost finishing the breakfast within a few minutes.  I smiled, watching them put it all away with gusto.

"Kip!"

A voice rang out, and all three of us looked down at the source next to our table.  Reared up on the seat was a small adorable blue fish-like pokémon, its head fin and tail wagging as it smiled at us.  "Mudkip!"

Mira and Pyro looked expectantly back at me, lagging behind with breakfast only half-finished.  "Go on and play, just don't wander too far," I responded, mouth half full.  Grinning, the three bounded out of the café and off into the lobby.  I wasn't worried; the mudkip probably had a trainer nearby, being in a pokécenter and all.  They'd all be under watchful eyes the whole time.

I leisurely took my time eating, playing with the ODT's settings under the table.  As high tech as everything in this world was, I didn't want to draw attention to myself with this unknown device.  Eventually, I finished my meal and stepped out into the lobby.  To satiate my curiosity and desire to prepare for anything, I decided to stop by the mart for a quick peek.  I wonder what kind of pokémon supplies they have?

Rows of shelves were packed full of merchandise: a broad selection of healing supplies, dozens of brands of pokémon food, even camping and trainer necessities, I didn't know where to start.  Not knowing what I'd be in for, I used up a good portion of my starting cash for some healing medicines, a few bags of pokémon food, and a nice-looking dark green backpack to carry everything.

I ignored for now the assortment of training and battle gear; there was no need for that sort of stuff at the moment, not before I figured out what I was going to do.  Curiosity now satisfied, I stepped back into the lobby and looked around for Mira and Pyro.

Strange, I didn't see them anywhere in the lobby.  Glancing around, nothing seemed out of place, just a few random trainers milling about.  Circling the lobby a couple times to make sure, I apprehensively approached the nurse at the counter.

"Excuse me, have you seen an Eevee and a Cyndaquil around here?"

She thought for a second, before a gleam of recollection sparked in her eyes.  "Oh, those two and a mudkip.  I saw them venture outside not too long ago," gesturing to the front entrance's sliding glass doors, "Quite a rambunctious trio, they couldn't have gotten too far."  Thanking her, I meandered outside, calling out for Mira and Pyro.

After a few minutes of searching, still no answer.  Where could they have gone?  Now concerned, I turned to head back inside, and was interrupted by a distant outcry.

"Veee!"

I turned in the direction of the sound, the woods bordering the main path.  Soon after, a dark plume of smoke began rising from behind the trees.  That has to be them!  I raced into the woods, brushing aside branches and foliage, travelling maybe a hundred feet before stumbling upon a small grassy clearing.

Before me stood Pyro, dark wisps of smoke dribbling from his mouth, facing off in battle against the previously-friendly mudkip.  Behind them stood a hooded individual, clad in navy-blue, directing the skirmish.  Panting heavily, it was clear that Pyro was losing this battle, being at a type disadvantage.  But why didn't he just run back to the center?

I peered around the clearing and noticed a small metal cage beside the mysterious trainer, which contained... Mira!

The hooded trainer pointed at Pyro.  "Douse it again!  Water Gun!"

The blue mud fish smirked as it darted forward, closing in on Pyro before blasting him with a powerful jet of water at point-blank range.  Pyro sailed through the air and painfully slammed against a tree.  He needed my help, badly.

Quickly, I called out, "Pyro, tackle the trainer and break open the cage!"

Pyro struggled back to his feet, looking around in surprise for my voice.  Recognizing me at the treeline, he nodded, exclaiming, "Cynda!" before barreling towards the cage, mudkip in hot pursuit.  Just as he had done to me, Pyro slammed into the trainer's chest, knocking him to the ground.  Leaping up in the air to dodge another spout of water, he slammed back down onto the cage, denting the roof and dislodging several metal bars from the frame.  He stood up on his hind legs and gave a triumphant victory pose.  It didn't last long though, as the mudkip took the opportunity to tackle Pyro to the ground.

"Eevee!"  Mira scampered out and ran to my open arms, narrowly escaping hands of the recovering trainer.  The man scowled at me, clearly vexed.  "Meddlesome little... Mudkip!  Use Mud Bomb!"

Grinning mischievously, the tiny mudkip summoned a large, dense sphere of mud, and hurled it straight at Pyro.  With a loud crack, it collided with Pyro in the chest before exploding in a huge cascade of soggy earth.  Crying out in pain, Pyro flew back and landed head-first in the dirt, knocked unconscious.

"No!  Pyro!"  I tried to rush over to him, but was immediately obstructed by a torrent of water.

The cloaked trainer laughed.  "That'll teach you not to mess with Team Origin's plans.  Now hand over that Eevee, or the Cyndaquil is finished!"  The mudkip smirked at us and readied its stance, waiting for the command.  Mira buried her head into my arms, tears welling up in her eyes, refusing to witness whatever would happen next.

Thinking fast, I sized up my options.  This guy meant business; I knew he wasn't going to hold back, not after we attacked him directly like that.  We were standing in the middle of the clearing, so I couldn't return Pyro and make it to the treeline before getting nailed by an attack, and I certainly couldn't give up on Mira or Pyro.  That left... my only other means of escape.  The ODT.  Might as well be now or never.

I swiftly pulled out the ODT and Pyro's pokéball, activating both.  Pyro glowed and dematerialized in a beam of red light, withdrawing to the ball just as the familiar cage of vivid blue light developed.

"What the... Mudkip, attack!"  The blue pokémon planted its feet firmly, and fired another mud bomb towards me; however, I was expecting the retaliation, and dropped to the ground.  The attacked sailed harmlessly over my head and through the solidifying light I could see the mudkip charge directly at us.  I held Mira close and the woods faded from sight as the flaring white light enveloped us both.



This time I managed to stay conscious, my eyes adjusting to the dimmer environment.  As I expected, I found myself on my bedroom floor and I immediately scrambled to my feet.

Okay, alive, check, location, check.  Mira?  I looked down to see the eevee shuddering in my arms, clearly shaken by her experience.  Safe, check.  There was one more.... Pyro!  I quickly pulled some of the medicine from my bag, and kneeling down on the floor and released Pyro from his ball.  Reappearing, he groaned softly in pain, barely regaining consciousness.

I carefully applied the medicinal spray before retrieving a first aid kit from a cabinet and gently wrapping his side and legs with clean bandages.  Mira hovered around us as I worked, nervously pacing back and forth.  Although I only saw a bunch of bruises, I couldn't tell if there were any serious internal injuries; the potions would probably only heal superficial wounds and extremely minor fractures.  I did the best I could, finally placing Pyro on some soft linens so he could rest up.  A pulse of warmth radiated weakly from his back; at least that was a reassuring sign.

"There, that's all I can do for now."  I turned to Mira, who jumped up into my arms, still trembling.  "He'll be all right.  Are you hurt at all?"

She managed to shake her head, before burying it in my shirt, tears starting to stream forth.  I tried to calm her down, softly stroking through the silky brown fur on her back.  "Everything's gonna be fine, I won't let anyone lock you up ever again."

After a few minutes, Mira finally calmed down enough that I could put her down; she immediately settled down beside the resting Pyro, waiting like a sentinel for him to awaken.



I left the two in my room, stepping out for a moment to compose my thoughts.  An entire parallel world, where pokémon were real!  It seemed right out of a dream, let alone reality.  I have to tell someone about this... Kevin!  I had completely forgot about my long-time friend, being caught up with Mira's appearance, and now Pyro's condition.  I pulled out my cell phone, only to notice a long queue of texts and missed calls, all from his number.

15:45 - "Hey, where are you?  I'm at your place, but you're not there.  Gotta leave soon, msg me back"
16:07 - "Can't wait around for you any longer, call you when I arrive"
22:36 - "What happened to you?  You haven't picked up for hours"
07:43 - "You always answer my texts, starting to get worried.  Call me back already"

Aw man.  I'd missed Kevin's departure, and wouldn't see him in person for quite a while.  I immediately dialed my buddy's number, the phone ringing barely once before picking up.

"FINALLY!  Now tell me, what happened to you?  There's no way in hell you'd normally skip out on me like that."

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."

"Nothing you say is ever unbelievable.  Try me."

I sighed to myself.  How to explain this properly?  I cleared my throat, "I just discovered that Pokémon are real, they actually exist."

A pause on the other end.  "Very funny.  No, seriously, tell me what happened."

"I'm telling the truth!  I said you wouldn't believe me."

I heard Kevin sigh in frustration on the other end.  "Look, if you don't want to talk about it, I understand, just say so, but don't make stuff up like that."  A short pause, then, "At least keep me in the loop next time, I was really worried when you disappeared off the face of the earth."

"Because I was inadvertently teleported to the pokémon world.  Right, I'll remember that next time."  I replied sarcastically.

"You do realize  you sound completely crazy, right?"  A few voices called out in the background of the call.  "I gotta go, call me back when you can spout common sense again."

"But I am-.... Fine, you just wait, I'll prove it next time I see you."

"Of course you will.  Okay, bye."

I hung up, and slumped against the wall.  Figures he didn't believe me, I wouldn't believe myself either.  I quietly sat down; Pyro probably wouldn't wake for a bit, so I had time to think about what I was going to do next.

Life, we're told repeatedly, always seems to throw you curveballs.  A little bit of an understatement in my situation, but true nonetheless.  These turn of events would certainly change my summer, and I might actually do something worthwhile instead of idling away my life.  I entertained the thought of being a pokémon trainer... it's every kid's dream, albeit in a fantastical sort of way.  But now, at this very moment, it was a distinct possibility.

Now that Kevin's off being busy, there's no reason to hold back.

I got up and reentered my room, sitting myself down next to Mira, who was curled up and watching Pyro intently.  "He'll be fine by the time he wakes up."  She looked up at me, still wearing a worried expression, and jumped into my lap.

I stroked her fur soothingly, "In the meantime, I'd like to ask a few questions, you know, get to know each other better."

Mira nodded, and our long session of twenty-questions began.

- - -

After an hour or two, I had learned quite a bit about the pair.  Mira and Pyro had grown up together in the forest valley, where I had appeared the day before.  They were both about six or seven months old which, consulting the pokédex, meant they were about the human age equivalent of twelve to fourteen.  The dexter also stated that both species usually were dependant on their parents for only two months, so Mira and Pyro had been on their own for a considerable portion of their lives.

As we conversed, I asked Mira how she originally arrived in my room.  At the mention, her eyes opened wide, before snapping shut and she trembled with fear, ears laid back.  Taken aback, I tried to calm her down again, but she refused to speak or move until I changed the subject.  Apparently, I wouldn't be getting answers out of her in the near future.

The topic eventually drifted to battling, I noticed that Mira's demeanor drastically shifted; she halted her pacing, merely resting in one spot as I stroked her fur, gingerly nodding yes or no.  It seemed to me like she had little interest battling, and even less firsthand experience.  Ah well, something I could help her work on; in light of her recent encounter, it would definitely be a good idea.

I took some time to talk about myself, and Earth in general: how there were no pokémon, why they had to stay out of sight from other people.  I had no doubt that nothing good would come of exposing them. If anyone else discovered how to travel between the two worlds, knowing how violent human nature was, I could see no other outcome besides war.

Mira seemed curious, especially at my mention of the many variety of animals.  Although the basic forms of many would be somewhat familiar to a pokémon, I cautioned against playful interaction; most wild animals wouldn't hesitate to attack a persistent, unfamiliar foe.  They just didn't have that same level of intelligence.

With regards to myself, I shared about my life in general.  All about my high school and classmates, my best friend Kevin, even my lack of close family.  At least I shared that in common with Mira.

- - -

It wasn't until mid-afternoon that Pyro finally stirred.  I was just about to prepare some food for myself and Mira, but I cracked a smile as we both rushed to his side.  I let Mira in front, knowing that she could calm him down if he panicked about the drastic change in his surroundings.  He wasn't as familiar with my room as Mira was and I didn't want him to inadvertently start a fire.

Opening his eyes, Pyro first spotted Mira, then myself behind her, and he smiled weakly.  Practically jumping for joy, Mira immediately nuzzled him on the cheek, relieved that her friend was finally all right.  When he noticed the unexpected change of scenery, the spots on Pyro's back glowed a dim red but he managed to hold his composure, focusing instead on Mira's energetic greeting.  I watched passively from the background, not wanting to interfere.  It looked like the medicine had worked; the bruises had faded and he appeared to no longer be in pain.  I figured he'd be a bit tired for a while, but that would only be a minor issue.

"Nice to have you back," I commented.  Standing up and stretching, I gestured them both downstairs, finally ready to procure some lunch.



Of course, my cooking skills were nothing to be desired, but it didn't take an expert to serve up boxes of pokéchow, or to put together a somewhat edible sandwich.  Even after his rest, Pyro was still taking it easy; an unexpectedly rough morning would do that to you.  He casually meandered his way around the kitchen, much less energetic than usual.  Mira kept circling around, keen on enticing Pyro to be more animated.

After lunch, we all ventured out into the backyard for some light exercise.  Encompassing about an acre, there was plenty of open grass, lined by some thick woods in the back and sides, giving us plenty of privacy.  Although it wasn't exactly a rural area, the houses were still spaced far enough away that I didn't have to worry about nosy or disruptive neighbors.

I called Mira and Pyro over.  "Alright, I know that we all had a hectic morning, but I thought it might be fun to do a little bit of battle training.  We'll take it easy, for now."

Pyro nodded, listening intently to my discussion.  Mira, on the other hand, lay reclining in the lush grass, batting at her tail lazily.  I cleared my throat, "This means you too, Mira!"

She jumped at her name, before rolling over and giving me an exasperated glare.  "Eevee?"

"You need to be able to battle too.  C'mon, give Pyro a rest, you're first."

Reluctantly, she followed me to the middle of the yard while I pulled out the pokédex and examined her moveset.  Mira knew... only tackle and growl.  Could use some work.  I positioned myself a few yards in front of her.

"Okay, use Tackle on me!"

She coiled her legs slightly before pelting full speed at me.  I held out my hands and braced for the impact.  15 feet, 10, 5...

THUMP.

Mira struck my outstretched hands and bounced off lightly, landing on her back in the grass.  Pyro chuckled quietly in the background; my arms had barely moved an inch from the impact.  I sighed, "Good, but try to put more power behind the impact."  Righting herself, Mira slowly returned to her previous position.

"Quil, Cynda-quiiiil"  Pyro called out what I assumed to be some advice from a more-experienced battler.  Mira turned to me, concentrating clearly on the target and ran forward again.  To my great surprise, she rocketed off much faster than last time and I had barely enough time to throw up my arms in defense.  I slid back a foot, pinwheeling my arms to regain balance, as I watched Mira flip backwards and land on her feet, ready for more.

"Much better, now let's keep working on your speed and power."

- - -

After a good while, Mira switched out with Pyro to take a break.  She had improved a lot, not only becoming proficient with tackle, but I could swear it was taking on some of the traits of quick attack, with her focus on speed.  Mira lay floundering in the grass, breathing heavily; I guess this kind of workout wasn't in her daily routine.

Consulting the pokédex again, I saw that Pyro knew... Tackle, Smokescreen, Ember.  His tackle was already good and powerful, and smokescreen would be hard to get wrong.  I guess we'd work on Ember, as to not put more physical strain on his healing injuries.

Pointing to an open stretch of grass, I called out, "Okay, Pyro, show me your ember!"

"Cynda..."  Flames erupted from his hindquarters, as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.  "Quil!"  A large flurry of glowing cinders erupted from his maw, the thick stream fluttering around in the breeze heading... towards me!

"Oh, shi-!"

I dove to the side, barely avoiding the misguided coals.  The heat was incredible, almost singing me as the attack glided a few inches above my legs.  They sailed past, finally cooling and settling down on the grass.  Fortunately, the bulk of the summer heat hadn't hit yet so the vegetation still held considerable moisture and wasn't going to catch fire.  For now.

Okay, ember not such a good idea.

Sighing to myself, I stood back up.  "We'll work on that aim when we find a better location."  I went inside briefly to fetch some equipment, returning with some tennis balls.  "Might as well give you a workout, make sure you're healed."

Second on my list for Pyro, behind working on moves, was agility and evasion.  He'd gotten pretty banged up by that mudkip, and needed to learn to dodge more attacks.  I had Pyro try to dodge the balls as I tossed them in his direction, Mira helping out with retrieval.  For the most part, Pyro seemed to be able to evade a head-on attack, but almost always failed when I hit from his peripheral vision.  Oh well, something to practice.



We continued until the sun began setting behind the trees before I put away our equipment and we returned indoors, all thoroughly exhausted.  Thankfully, I never had to put in much effort for dinner, and we ate in silence.  I was pretty busy wrapped up in my own thoughts.  What am I going to do now?  I had this amazing opportunity, to explore a brand new world, and be able to return home instantly whenever I wanted.  It's not like I would miss anything by leaving.

My mind made up, I announced, "There's not much reason to stay here for very long.  I think we should go back to your world first thing tomorrow morning."

Mira's ears perked at this, stopping to smile at me before resuming her dinner.  I couldn't see a noticeable reaction from Pyro; for a 'mon with no visible ears, I was impressed he could hear me at all.  I guess he was pretty indifferent as to where we ventured, as long as we were all together.

As it got darker outside, I sat around and talked with Mira and Pyro, now that they were both awake.  As I had done before, I began asking Pyro questions, trying to figure out more about him.  As I suspected, his reaction to battles was very different than Mira, proudly puffing out his chest boastfully when I mentioned his battling strength.  That is, until I commented on how powerful his first attack on me was, to which he winced apologetically.

I studied the ODT for a while before bed.  Digging through the almost-nonexistent documentation, I finally figured out how to set up a favorites menu, for quick labelled access to our previously travelled locations.  I got the feeling that saving all of our travel locations would come in handy, just in case.

We finally settled in to sleep, Mira and Pyro sharing the pile of blankets I laid out at the foot of my bed.  I could barely contain my anticipation; tomorrow was bound to be a very exciting day.