The frigid wind howled as I stood on top of the mountain. The trainer who I knew to be the new champion of the Indigo League stood before me.

They smiled with a triumphant ecstasy and returned their last pokemon.

I, Red, had lost.

I couldn't believe what had happened, and the shock of it all was too much to bear. I was supposed to be the best that there ever was, yet I was taken down by this newcomer. Had all my training, my foiling of Team Rocket's plans, been for nothing?

I ran past the new trainer without saying a word, and fled into the cave. I ran and ran and ran until I was sure that I put enough distance between us. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't let myself.

No, I thought to myself, I just have to get stronger. But how?

Then it dawned on me. There was a pokemon that could grant any wish. All I had to do was find it. I looked up and saw the light of the cave entrance. It told me that it was the first step in my journey, and so I took that first step.

-----

I finally found the hallowed room in the web of catacombs. There, wrapped up in itself, was the pokemon that I sought, Jirachi. It was sleeping, as I expected it would. Legend has it that it only wakes up once every thousand years, but I didn't have that sort of time.

I pulled out my flute and blew into a tune of awakening. The music echoed and was swallowed up by the seemingly endless walls of the cave, and then the creature stirred.

It opened its eyes and unravelled itself from its swaddling, then floated up to me.

"Did you just manage to wake me up?" it asked in a faltering voice.

I nodded that I was indeed the one.

The small yellow and white pokemon looked disappointed. "I thought I told those elders to tell people that I could only be awoken every thousand years, but it seems that some of you just don't listen. How am I supposed to get a good rest when you people wake me up every few decades?"

I shrugged. I honestly didn't expect the flute to work.

Jirachi sighed. "Very well. Tell me your wish so that I can get back to sleep."

If there was one thing that I hated, it was talking, but in this case there was simply no other way. "I wish to become stronger."

Jirachi was already dozing off.

"Hey!" I yelled, which was incredibly uncharacteristic of me.

It was shaken awake. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you." It thought for a moment. "Alright, I think I know what you need to grow."

I waited anxiously for it to tell me what that was, but it didn't seem to want to.

"Have fun!" it said as it snapped its fingers. Everything went black.

-----

I awoke on a bed of yellow flowers. I felt like I was under some sort of spotlight, so I looked up. Far, far above me was an opening to the outside world. I had been dropped into a cave. I thought for a second that I would simply be able to use Charizard to fly out of the area if I need to, but I saw a purple blur over everything starting about halfway up the hole.

Must be some kind of barrier.

It was then that I heard someone call out to me. "Hello! My name is Flowey!"

I turned around and saw a flower with a face. I pulled out my pokedex and pointed it towards the entity, but it didn't react.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" The flower was starting to get annoyed.

I looked back at it and waved.

"Yes, I am here." He frowned. "Listen. I don't know why you're down here, but I'm going to tell you right away that you don't belong."

That's kind of sudden.

"Vileplume! Use Giga Drain!"

To my surprise, the familiar blue pokemon with a large red flower atop its head came out of the ground and targeted me. It was clear that Flowey had no intention of fighting my pokemon, but rather he wanted to kill me.

"Kangaskhan! Sucker Punch!"

Out of nowhere, a large brown monster pounced out of the darkness and punched the Vileplume away with a darkened fist. Behind it came a creature that was unfamiliar in shape and size to me.

"Drat! Better get out of here then!" squealed the flower as he retreated underground.

The new monster, a white goat-like humanoid, stepped into the same light as me. "Have no fear child, I am here now. My name is Toriel. Come with me little one."

I checked it with my pokedex. Once again it failed to yield a response.

"What's that? Oh, I guess that doesn't really matter." She saw the pokeballs at my waste. "What is this? You have pokemon? I didn't think that humans had those. Wait, you are human right?"

I shook my head to confirm that I was.

"Oh, how peculiar. Anyways, welcome to the underground! Follow me please." She started walking into the darkness towards an eerie purple gate, and I chose to follow.

She lead me through some creepy purple and pink ruins until reaching a somewhat dangerous looking floor of spikes. There was water on either sides of the spikes, so it wasn't like they weren't traversable or anything.

She took my hand. "Hold my hand. This puzzle might be a little too dangerous for you right now."

I pulled my hand back. No thanks. I called forth my Lapras and let him into the water. I hopped on his back, and he understood and swam to the other side of the water. He gave me the look that said "did you really just call me out for such a small task?"

I recalled Lapras after I hopped off of his back.

Toriel looked at me strangely. "Well I guess that works..." She walked across the spikes the proper way, letting the spikes in the correct path retract into the floor as she reached them. "No then, let's go."

She lead me through winding paths and puzzles until we arrived at a cloth dummy. It was kind of funny looking. It had a cone shaped torso and an almost duck-like head.

"When you're travelling down here you'll often be attacked and forced to engage in battle, but you can often end it peacefully through other means. Why don't you try talking to the dummy?"

How about no. I looked at the dummy, expecting it to come alive or something. Maybe it's a ghost? I pulled out my pokedex and once again checked it. There was no response. I looked back up. It wasn't pulling out any pokeballs either, so there wouldn't be a battle. It seems that we're at an impasse...

I sat down on the floor and played with my pokedex for a little bit, scrolling through my beautiful completed data. Toriel was getting irritated that I didn't just talk to the dummy.

Suddenly, after several minutes of doing nothing, the dummy grew tired of my aimless shenanigans and floated into the air and out of the ruins.

Toriel looked surprised. "Well... Ok then."

Guess it was a ghost after all.

She then lead me to, you guessed it, yet another room.

How big is this place exactly?!

Part way through our travels, she stopped us. "I'm sorry, but I just remembered that I need to do something. Please wait here until I come back. Oh, but take this cell phone. Bye!" She ran off to somewhere else in the ruins.

Stay put? Na, time for adventure! I laughed to myself a little. I'm quite sassy today.

And thus I went exploring. A few easy puzzles later I encountered a ghost lying down, blocking the path. I didn't even bother pulling out my pokedex to check it anymore.

The ghost looked like one of those basic costumes where you just cut holes in a plain white sheet and call it good, and it was saying the letter 'z' outloud repetitively.

I guess that it's trying to pretend that it's asleep so that I'll go away. Too bad though, because I need to pass. I tried stepping through the ghost, since it is a ghost after all, but it didn't quite like that.

It lethargically got up and looked at me with a very depressed look. "Nooooo I guess I have to fight now." The ghost sent out a Drifloon.

Now we're talking! Where did it pull the pokeball from anyways? I stepped back and sent out my Snorlax, which could have easily blocked the path as well.

"Nooooo," cried the ghost. "Not a normal type. I can't really attack those, but I also don't want to sit here in a socially awkward situation, so I'm just going to leave." He pulled his pokemon back in and disappeared from the room.

I didn't even know what to think about that encounter, so I just continued on with my journey. Eventually through the winding tracks I reached a quaint golden house, and decided to just waltz right in. Inside I found Toriel sitting and reading a book.

"Oh," she said, looking up from her book. "I totally didn't forget about leaving you back there."

Except you definitely did.

"I'm glad that you got here safe though! Why don't you go take a rest? You can sleep in the room that's the first one on the left."

I acknowledged her request then left the room. I saw a staircase that lead down somewhere. My sense of adventure tingled. She didn't mean a room down there... Perhaps?

I took the stairs down and started my trek down the unbelievably long hallway. Toriel must have heard me though because she came racing down the stairs to catch me. Worried that she would catch me, I whipped out my compact bicycle and pedaled as fast as I could. I raced down the long corridor, almost wiping out at the sharp ninety degree turn, then managed to make it down to another large ominous door before stopping.

"Wait!" cried out Toriel far behind me. "At least let me say something before you rush out into such a dangerous place!"

I decided to let her catch up and hear what she had to say. She seemed nice and caring after all, and she reminded me of mother.

She was gasping for air when she finally caught up to me. I gave her a minute to stop panting.

"Alright, you win. There's no way that I can hold you back, but at least let me battle you first to prove that you are strong enough to proceed." She once again set out to battle with her Kangaskhan.

I nodded and happily pulled out a pokeball. I sent out my signature pokemon, Pikachu. Without hesitation, I quietly uttered my command. "Thunder."

The little electric mouse unleashed a massive charge of energy, and it immediately engulfed the opposing pokemon. Her Kangaskhan fainted after that single attack.

"W-well then. I guess you won't be having any problems in the strength department!" Before I could react, she leapt forward and hugged me. "Be safe, child." She let go then sadly walked back to her house.

I felt sorry for her, but goodbyes are a part of new beginnings, and so I stepped through the door and into a new, very unusual, environment.