The evening was hot, humid and generally uncomfortable, that faithful night. Charlie was heading home from a friend’s house, and was looking forwards to having a nice bath, then heading to bed for some much needed sleep. Glancing up at the darkening sky, the thin, frail brunette sighed deeply. He disliked being out when it was dark, the idea of it frightened him more than anything. (Other than thunderstorms, he was absolutely terrified of those.) Hearing footsteps, the young man ignored them at first, thinking it was just someone headed to one of the nearby stores.

“STOP THERE, YOU FUCKING FAGGOT!” A voice echoed out from behind him, the steps growing faster and louder. Not daring to look back, Charlie began to run towards the stores, figuring he’d be safer in a much more public place. Tripping over the kerb, he fell, breaking his wrist. With a whimper of pain and fright, he felt himself grabbed and dragged to his feet, pulled into an alleyway out of the way of public view.

“I knew it! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!” The male who’d grabbed a hold of Charlie was a good half a foot or so taller than he was, and a lot stronger. His eyes held a crazed look, the corner of his mouth twitching in a sort of tick. Shoving the smaller male into the wall, the greasy haired taller man growled deeply and rose his knife, mumbling on about how being gay was a sin, and repulsive. Trembling, Charlie only had time to scream in fear before the man’s knife plunged deep into his stomach.
Coughing, Charlie fell to the ground, bleeding out on the ground. As the attacker walked away from him, the young man shakily brought out his phone, knowing he didn’t have long left at all. Moving to bring up his sister’s name, he swallowed and began to text her, slowly, trying his best to conserve his energy.

Thank you. Thank you for being there for me, sis, through thick and thin, no matter what was going on. I’m just sorry I couldn’t help you as much as you help me out.. Love ya, big sis! Coughing, Charlie pressed send, dropping his phone on the floor in the pool of blood forming around him. With a small sob of fright and pain, he closed his eyes, letting death come over him as tears streamed down his face, mingling with the blood on the floor.

___

“Welcome! This is the portal that leads to the world of Pokemon!” A deep voice boomed out, breaking the silence around Charlie, a light glow at the end of a tunnel breaking the pitch black around the young man. The voice was lordly and loud, yet kind and warm, reflecting a gentle personality.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Relax, young one. You’ll be happy here, safe. Before I can let you pass through, I just have a few questions to ask you, okay? It will determine your species. Relax.. Think of it as a new life.”

“Okay… Will I see my sister?”

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

“Okay, Sir. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, young one. Now, do you like fighting?”

“No…”

______

The funeral parlor was cold, a great relief from the sweltering heat of the sun outside. Katherine on a bench, her brown hair had become unkempt and now clouded her vision. She shifted on her seat, a small padded bench situated right outside the visitation room, which held a casket. Her brother's casket.

She'd chosen to stay outside until the service started, she didn't want to stay in the same room as Charlie's corpse. The thought brought up a small sob, but her eyes refused to yield any more tears, these last few days had drained her eyes completely. She'd received the news just a week ago and here she was, attending her own brother's funeral. It wouldn't start for another two hours, though what little remained of her immediate family had decided to arrive early and make some finishing touches. Everyone was shaken, some more than others.

Katherine retrieved her phone out of its hiding place and thumbed mindlessly until she reached her brother's final message. It seemed so ridiculous now, almost like a suicide note; she'd immediately called her parents to check on him when it reached her. At a friend's house, they said. He just left, his friend said. An hour later, she called again. He still hadn't gotten home. A missing person report was filed shortly after that, and so they waited.

His body was found the next morning, and all hell broke loose. It was a painful memory for her, one that she avoided thinking about. Her finger hovered over the trashcan icon for a second, maybe it would be better to just forget about it completely. Just forget about her brother, his killer, and how she failed as a sister to pro-

As she deliberated, a voice spoke to her. The voice was muddled, almost incomprehensible, as if it was spoken from underwater.
"W--ld --u ---- to s-e y-- b--t-er ---in?"
She looked around and shuddered. Water and her didn't get along very well, thinking about someone trying to speak while underwater, possibly drowning, was disturbing. It distracted her from the cadaver in the next room, at least.

A minute passed, then another. Nothing.

"Would you like to see your brother again?
Katherine yelped in surprise and dropped her phone, causing the battery and back plate to separate themselves from the phone violently. The voice boomed inside her mind and seemed to bounce around in her head. Must be my nerves, she thought. Too much stress was bad for the mind, and now here she was, hearing voices.

I should just rest. Her eyelids were becoming heavy and her mind had become clouded with painful memories. It would take a while for the... event to start. She still had time before she had to say goodbye to Charlie for the last time.

Katherine shifted in her seat and laid down. The hard leather was uncomfortable and the bright summer light still shone through the windows, but she was so tired...
Katherine thought back at the words she had heard earlier. Did she want to see her brother again? Of course, she wanted to apologize for running off when he needed her, she wanted to talk with him about his relationships, she wanted to...
To see him again, alive with a goofy smile on his face. Just one more time.
She drifted off to sleep.

---

“Welcome! This is the portal that leads to the world of Pokemon!”
The voice had returned, but this time it came from a visible source. A man stood at the end of a void and had a sort of warm radiance about him. Behind him was a faint light that stood out among the darkness, the features of his face and body were impossible to discern. His voice was that of a kindly old grandfather, kind yet firm and authoritative at the same time.

"What is... where are we?" She rubbed her eyes, a thick fog seemed to cloud her vision and thinking. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"No, this is as real as your own flesh and blood. Your brother is waiting for you just past here. You are to serve as his guardian and protector during these troubled times. Under normal circumstances, I'd ask you some questions before letting you through, but the portal grows weak. You will have to hurry along, but do not worry. I have something planned for you."

The man faded away and Katherine felt herself being drawn towards the light.
---

Charlie sat on the beach, feeling bored. He'd been told by the "voice" that he was to remain around Treasure Town, until he was able to put his plans into action. That wasn't to say that the other pokemon hadn't been kind to him, infact, they'd been fantastic! He had been given food and drink in Spinda's Café, and had been allowed to spend time in the guild, talking with the various members, learning about the journeys they took and the explorations they'd under gone when looking for hidden or lost locations, and finding various treasures all around them! He'd even been given a Blue Ribbon by Wigglytuff, which he wore with pride around his neck.

Standing up, he shook the sand off his body, glancing at Beach Cave. He'd been allowed to explore the cave, and had been happily collecting money, which he used to buy food or any items that interested him, which he'd usually trade in at the guild or sell to people who needed them. He'd usually sell them at about 20 Poke less then they were actually worth, but he didn't mind. It made him feel useful, and meant he had something to do constantly, rather then sitting on the beach or in the Bluff. Sadly, the guild members were away, leaving him with little to do.

"I miss my sister.." He sighed, looking away from the cave and moving towards Spinda's beach for something to drink and eat. Prehaps something would occur to make him smile..

The sound of waves and gulls filled Katherine's ears and the smell of saltwater assaulted her sense of smell. It reminded her of a beach, one that she had been to before. Charlie and her parents had been there with her, there was a crashing sound and...
And...
She couldn't remember what had happened after that. It was as if someone had taken a pair of dull scissors and roughly cut the memory out of her head. Bits and pieces still remained, she knew there was a loud sound and water- oh, so much water.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn't quite recall what had happened earlier that had put her in her current state.

Katherine thrashed around in her sleep. She could feel the heat of the sun bear down on her body and the ground she was lying on felt gritty, yet she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. She was tired and the fog in her head had yet to clear. In fact, it seemed stronger than before.

---

A green form stirred on the sands of the beach, something that certainly hadn't been there before. The figure, a female Servine, seemed to appear out of nowhere in the blink in the eye. It thrashed around sporadically, like it was having a bad dream.

---

Charlie turned and ran to the knocked out pokemon, hearing the crashing noise. Frowing, he reached into his bag with his vines, picking out an Oran Berry. Snapping it, the young Grass Snake Pokemon opened the Servine's mouth gently, squeezing the juices out of the berry, and into her mouth.

"C'mon, wake up. Wake up.. Please." The Snivy's deep brown eyes shone with worry, kind and sweet.

"C'mon. Wake up or I'll use Vine Whips on you." Which may not work. You're another Grass Type, after all... Do I even know anything that isn't a Grass or Normal move?