Growing Up in a New World

The day before

“How am I supposed to – why is this game so hard?”

My brother Jasper and I were playing this game called Silver and the Doorway of Dreams, an isometric platformer about this weird Sylveon/Gardevoir/Cresselia thing called Silver, who was actually pink. It’s a rather old game – it was a launch title for this console called the Crescent, which is almost as old as Jasper – and it’s very girly, but we’d always loved the game since we got it, and the console, second-hand a couple of years ago. It was fun, but there was one problem: we’d been stuck on this electric dragon boss – Raigon, I think it’s called? – for several months now. Jasper found his attack where he sends an electric shockwave across the ground to be really hard to dodge, while I basically mashed random buttons.

After getting the umpteenth game over in this night alone, I handed the controller over to Jasper.

“I think you’re supposed to do this,” he said. He repeatedly used Silver’s dash attack against the boss, but eventually she was hit and got thrown backwards. And again. And again. Game over.

He threw the controller onto the floor in frustration, waking up our house-Skitty, Coco, who was asleep on the floor nearby. She screeched, and I had to pull her off the sofa. Then, I turned the Crescent off. On the other side of the living room, there were some photographs and awards from when our mom was a Rhyhorn racer; Rhyhorn racing was also how she met our dad.

It was a shame we couldn’t beat Raigon, because this was the last time we’d see each other for a while. The next day, Jasper would become a Pokémon trainer – Coco wasn’t a battling Pokémon.

“So, Jasper… which Pokémon will you pick?” I asked.

“Treecko, I think,” he replied. “They’re really cool – just imagine, travelling through a deep forest, your Sceptile leaping through the trees nearby… it sounds awesome. But… you’re going to be lonely, aren’t you?”

I nodded slightly, almost sadly. I had some friends at school, sure, but Jasper was always the closest to me. He’d make sure I never did anything stupid, and kept me out of trouble… I hoped he’d be okay on his own.

“I hope this Treecko protects you… and I hope you protect this Treecko.”

Day one

Today was the day. Jasper would leave home and become a trainer. I was feeling nervous, knowing that my best friend would be gone for a while.

Mom kept asking Jasper to check if he had everything he needed, over and over and over. She asked him to call back every now and again, and tell her what he was up to. Our mom was single, and seemed to be worried that he would get lost, or something, on his journey. He reassured her, saying that countless other kids had survived their trek across the Hoenn region, and that he had to leave home eventually, and this would be his chance to see the world. I even said, holding back tears, that I hoped his Treecko, or whatever starter he chose, would protect him, just as I said last night.

It was the weekend that day, so I went back into the living room once he had left. I debated with myself if I should play Dooway of Dreams or not, to see if I could beat Raigon on my own, but worrying it would feel “different” without Jasper. Eventually, I turned the console on, with Coco on the floor nearby, awake for once. Just as the console’s startup sequence finished, with all of the CGI letters in the logo appearing one at a time, I suddenly felt strangely tired. Coco suddenly fell asleep too. I collapsed onto the sofa, still holding the Crescent controller.

“Rest now, my children, for when you awake a whole new world shall be your home.”

“Ugh… where am I…?” I groaned, my voice sounding a lot higher-pitched than usual.

All around me, I heard countless sounds, some of which sounded further away than anything I’d ever heard before. It was mostly the sounds of countless Pokémon sleeping, with the occasional rustling of leaves.

I opened my eyes. I was in a forest full of white trees – aspen trees? There weren’t any of those in Hoenn. They also looked vastly taller than I imagined they would be.

I stood up. It was then that I noticed that I was a lot smaller than usual. I looked at my arm, which was pale yellow, with very short digits. I was shocked – literally, in fact. Upon noticing my arm, I was suddenly zapped by something. There wasn’t any lightning or appliances around, and it was then I realized that I was a Pichu. That shock felt all too real, so it couldn’t have been a dream.

At first, I was overjoyed. It was so cool to be a Pokémon! That excitement quickly turned into panic, however, when I noticed there was a predator right in front of me.

RUN AWAY!

I hyperventilated, and almost electrified myself again, when I realized that this “predator” my instincts, I guess, were telling me about was just a Skitty. Coco, to be exact. Still feeling a bit nervous, I gently nudged her, being careful not to shock her.

“Morning…” someone yawned. I quickly realized it was Coco; since I was a Pokémon now, I could talk to other Pokémon. She tiredly stood up.

“Coco!” I exclaimed. “You’re never going to believe this, but… I’m Tyler!”

“Tyler? Oh, yeah, that kid… wait, I thought Tyler was a human…” Coco sounded bored.

“I really don’t know what happened. I just… woke up here as a Pichu.”

“Prove it.”

“Last night, Jasper and I were playing this game, then he threw the controller on the floor, and it scared you. You always get scared by things like that.”

“I remember now… I was tired back then…” Coco sounded rather unsurprised by all of this.

You’re always tired, I thought.

“Anyway,” I said, “I… I have no idea where mom is, or anyone else we know. I… what should I do…?”

“Find civilisation?” replied Coco. "Whatever it is you humans do..." She said "humans" in a way that sounded like she'd do the quote fingers if she had any.

But where was civilisation? I had no idea where we were, and there were no signs of humans here. Was this some kind of nature reserve? A dream? How did I become a Pokémon, anyway?

My ears twitched as I heard all sorts of sounds. Leaves rustling, branches breaking, Nuzleaf... and the unnerving sound of wings beating overhead. I looked up, and heard a screech. It was a Staraptor.

There were no Staraptor in Hoenn.

"Run!" I exclaimed. I found it easier to run on all fours, which seemed to come naturally to me. Pichu are surprisingly fast. I had no idea where I was going, or if Coco was following me... I just needed to find safety.

At one point, I stopped to catch my breath, and noticed a group of wild Pikachu. I thought about joining them, but... I didn't. I needed to find a town, or city, or something. Maybe there would be humans, maybe they would know what happened. Except... they couldn't talk to humans. I didn't think this through... but I couldn't sleep alone in the wilderness. Maybe a trainer would take me in. But would I want to be a trained Pokémon?

I also noticed that the Staraptor had gone, and so had Coco.

Eventually, I came across a part of the forest that consisted of oak trees. In the middle of this forest was the tallest tree I'd ever seen, possibly the tallest in the world. Something pink was asleep near the roots of one of the trees - Coco.

"Took you long enough," she yawned, after I approached her.

"What? What? How?" I spluttered, shocked.

"That Pokémon - a Stara-ara-raptor, I think he said - was actually nice. He said he was a human too, and hadn't seen any for miles around... he brought me here."

"What was the Staraptor's name?"

"I think he said his name was Chief or Quiche or something. Wasn't paying attention."

"No-one I know, then. But why did he bring you here?"

"I said I was lost, and he said that this place was inhabited. Not by humans, mind, but some other things... what were they called again?"

I heard the sound of hoofsteps as something ran past us. It looked like a Stantler or Deerling or something, only with darker fur, and it seemed to be scared of something. It didn't even notice us.

"Oh yeah... those guys..." Coco mumbled. "Quiche said they were scared of Pokémon... even cute ones..."

Just where were we?

That night, I couldn't get to sleep. This was quite possibly the worst day of my life, and definitely the weirdest. I was a little Pichu that was prey to many Pokémon, in a faraway land with no humans. I had no idea where my family was, and the only "person" I knew here was the world's most bored Skitty. That shock hurt, but... this all seemed to unreal. Maybe this was a dream after all...

When I was little, I always liked to imagine that Silver was always watching over my dreams. Maybe she could help me understand what was going on.

Eventually, I fell asleep, wondering if this was a dream I would forgot when I woke up in the morning. Where do you suppose those dreams go?