Three hours after your intense battle and you are back on the computer, browsing through the many games that your brother poured the majority of his life into. You finally understand the excitement that he had gotten from these worlds and you wanted- no, needed- to see more. You try to find games you might recognise from the time you used to spend watching the screen over your brother's shoulder as he played.
You pause your scrolling and select Pokemon Online. You had never watched your brother play this particular variant of the game but you had seen the other pokemon games and know the main objective.
You set the game up and carefully place the VR gear onto your head, lying down on your bed and entering the new world.
The style is much more cartoony than the DnD game.
A character appears on the screen and appearance options pop up on the three panels around you. The first is the body type and facial features, next is hairstyle and colour, and third is the outfit. You pick through the options until you have your ideal character and outfit. A side bag rests on the hip of your new character which is likely to be what contains the Pokeballs. The final panel shows a selection of twenty one different starter Pokemon. A fire, water and grass type Pokemon from every region up to the Alola region from Sun and Moon, which was the game you had watched your brother play as a child. A few of the Pokemon starters stand out more than others to you. The sassy fox Fenekin takes your interest as well as Mudkip, Charmander and Rowlet. You struggle with the decision for awhile and ponder over each one. They are all cute and are all valuable to have as companions. Your hand hovers over the pictures on the panel and you carefully place your transparent hand onto the button for Mudkip.
Having finished creating your character you are plunged into darkness for a few
seconds while the new world loads.
You find yourself in a lab where your Mudkip stands on a sterile white table staring up at you. A very cartoony scientist stands to the right of the table and begins to speak to you.
"Hello, what is your name?" He asks you. He has olive skin and his eyes and hair share the same dark brown colour. Underneath his white lab coat he is wearing a dark green t-shirt and dark grey pants. His anime eyes blink as he waits for you to type your username into the brightly coloured panel that has appeared before you.
"Ah, what a nice name" he compliments. "Welcome to the world of Pokemon. This is an open world where you can wander around and find all of the already existing Pokemon to either defeat them in battle or to catch and train them." He talks on, giving you a short tutorial on how to play the game and all of the special things you can do in this world. As he finishes his speech the professor gives you six Pokeballs and a small amount of money to get you going.
"Before you go you will need to catch this Pokemon. Get a Pokeball from your inventory, aim then throw it" the professor instructs.
You do as he says, holding the red and silver Pokeball in your hand before lightly throwing it at the Mudkip who had been patiently sitting on the table while the professor had talked.
The small blue Pokemon glows with white light before shrinking and entering the Pokeball, which lands on the table then shakes once, twice, and stills. On the left side of your vision the symbol of a Mudkip appears in one of the six templates. A health bar, happiness bar and experience bar are to the right of Mudkip's picture, all being full at the moment.
"Alright! Treat your new companion well and he will reward you by winning battles for you. A happier Pokemon is a stronger Pokemon. Now go and enjoy your adventure!"
With that you are teleported outside where the unusually large sun shines down onto the green world around you. The bright coloured houses are few and far between, with long stretches of grass covering most of the ground. Slim dirt pathways weave through the grass, leading to different buildings and into a large friendly looking forest to your left. You can see one or two other players wandering around in the grass and battling some of the wild Pokemon that dwell there.
You take a moment to appreciate the world and its beauty before releasing Mudkip from his confinement in the Pokeball to let him wander beside you. He chirps his name and waddles towards you.
"Hey there" you greet your new companion.
"Mudkip" he replies
"So you wanna go on an adventure?"
"Mudkip"
"You're level five, I'm sure you can handle the beginners in the grass" you say, contemplating your next actions.
"Mudkip"
"Let's level you up" you decide, grinning at the small blue friend.
"Mudkip"
"Mudkip! Use tackle!" You instruct.
"Mudkip!" Your blue companion chirps as he charges towards the red furred vulpix that you had found hiding in the grass. The fox-like creature is knocked back by your slightly smaller creature's attack. It's health bar decreases but it jumps back up and uses the ember attack, sending fire hurtling towards Mudkip. He takes the hit and a slight amount of damage.
"Wow" a bored male's voice interrupts your battle. You turn to see another trainer standing behind you with black hair partially concealed by a custom patterned spotty hat. His golden eyes that match his jumper hold slight amusement in them.
"You do know that vulpix is a fire type right?" He asks in the same bored tone.
"Well obviously!" You point at your slightly burnt Mudkip who is waiting for your next command.
"And you have a water type" he goes on, expecting you to put the pieces together.
"Yeah" you reply, not quite getting it.
"Then why are you using tackle when water gun would be a much more efficient move?"
"Oh" you finally understand. "Like paper scissors rock? Except fire, water, grass?"
The dark haired player rolls his eyes.
"Give or take fifteen Pokemon types" he replies.
You turn back to the battle and take the stranger's advice, commanding Mudkip to use water gun. The attack instantly drains the health of the opposition and rewards you with a small amount of cash and a level up for your Pokemon.
"Thanks, uh, person thing" you say nervously, turning to face the player that had assisted you. Despite your rather large group of friends your confidence around strangers is absolute zero.
If Nami had not 'adopted' you into the group it is likely that your introverted self would have struggled to make any friends during your years at high school.
You glance above the player's head where the name "SurgeonOfDeath" hovers in bright writing. The letter 'e' in death is backwards.
"Edgy" you mutter to yourself.
"Well you looked like you could need some help (U/N)-ya. Or a lot of help" he states with a shrug.
"I think I've got this" you counter, not quite appearing as brave as you had hoped for with your voice slightly more high pitched and shakier than normal.
The stranger looks at you skeptically then shrugs again.
"I mean, look at how out of shape your Mudkip is" he points to your slightly charred companion. "Unless you like cooked fish I would suggest patching him up"
You shoot him a light glare before crouching down to tend to your Pokemon.
"If all you're going to do is criticize me I would rather have you leave" you complain.
"I can't leave someone as bad as you wandering around the world" he replies, watching as you care for Mudkip.
"If you keep this up you're going to end up with a block" you hum, cleaning the last of the dirt from your Mudkip's face.
"I can't help you very well if I'm blocked"
"Help me?" You stand, astonished at his bluntness.
"Well, you need it and I have an free hour" he explains.
"Why would I want your help?" You scoff, pushing past him and back onto the dirt path. He turns slightly but doesn't follow.
"I don't see anybody else offering and you accepted my help before" he retorts, smirking slightly.
You stop walking and turn to face him once again.
"I suppose..." You start, still sceptical.
"I may seem harsh but I am just trying to help. Something that a friend told me to do to improve my social skills" he confesses.
"Fine. Teach me a bit about this game and I will teach you how not to seem like a dick online" you decide.
"Deal" he smirks.
You had suspicions that this SurgeonOfDeath guy would end up being really creepy but so far it seems that he was honest when he offered his help.
His critical advice had been surprisingly helpful during your battles. He isn't an expert in the game but his understanding of it is much more than yours. The two of you worked together to level up Mudkip and capture your first authentically caught Pokemon, a level six female zigzagoon that had been running around in the grass. Surgeon, as you had taken to calling him, had lent you a few health potions so you could continue training for a while longer before having to take your new companions to the Pokemon centre.
"This way" Surgeon guides you towards the Pokemon centre at the end of your hour of training. The white and red building sits along the edge of the forest. The glass doors automatically open and for half a second your surroundings freeze as you walk through them.
A nurse not smiles from behind the pristine white counter and offers to take your Pokemon who are walking at your heels. Surgeon hands six Pokeballs to the nurse as you retrieve your companions into their own ones and also hand them in.
A small amount of money is deducted from you when they are handed back to you half a minute later.
"Hey Surgeon" you speak up and the dark haired male turns to you. "What are your Pokemon?"
He waves a Pokeball and in a flash of white light six different Pokemon appear next to him.
First is a blue seal like Pokemon that is slightly over half a metre tall called Brionne. Litleo is next, a fiery feline looking Pokemon. A black and blue Pokemon called Deino is about half the size of your player model. An even larger Whirlipede rolls around behind Surgeon, scaring away a flock of pidgy. A graceful Glaceon sits loyally beside its trainer, icy eyes trained on you. Lying away from the others is a metre tall purple skuntank. It doesn't even open an eye to examine the sudden change in its environment.
"I have a Swellow as well, but he's going to remain in the PC while I train Litleo." Surgeon explains.
"Wow. They're all so different..." You observe, stepping towards the Glaceon who, you now realise, is made of ice. A slight jingle can be heard when it moves its head towards you as pieces of ice shift and make contact with each other. The Pokemon regards you coldly with its deep blue eyes.
"I don't choose them based on type or appearance" Law states, watching as you crouch in front of the ice creature then hold out your hand for it to sniff. Your assumptions of its dog-like behaviour turn out to be correct as it leans its face towards your hand.
"So convenience?" You ask.
"No. Attitude" he answers.
You think about it for a moment before realising that he picks the cold fronted antisocial Pokemon that the majority of trainers struggle to get on with. The similarity of the trainer and his Pokemon almost makes you laugh. You suppress your smile and stand up straight again to address your helper.
"What makes their attitudes better than another pokemon's one?" You query.
"It's harder to earn their respect but the reward is completely worth it." Surgeon replies. "Earning their loyalty means that they will never leave your side and they will fight harder in battles for you"
You are not entirely satisfied with his answer but decide not to push it. He is practically a stranger after all and you would rather not end up playing therapist for some random dude you found online.
"Oh!" You let out a startled noise and pull a menu out of thin air.
Surgeon hums in curiosity as you walk closer to him and finish sending a friend request.
"Why?" Surgeon asks, seeming perplexed.
"You need the help" you shrug with a smile.
The dark haired male smirks and accepts the request.