02 - it's gonna taste just like adjectives
Red was just fine until after lunch. There was something different about the food that day, but he figured Nancy was just experimenting with new ingredients. Oh, how right he was. If only he knew.
There were rumors lurking around Kanto and Johto. Silly rumors, but rumors nonetheless. Before he came to school, everyone had a friend of a friend's brother's friend that spoke about it, fearful and hushed. "Well, I heard that if you fly to Cinnabar Island from Viridian City at night and walk along the beach, you'll meet a mermaid and she gives you one wish."
"No, no, my brother said it was a fossil gone wrong! He said everyone on the island locks up and hides at night, or else it gets you."
"That's a load of crap, everyone knows a monster got out of that mansion. It comes back for revenge on dumb trainers that run around at night!"
"Nuh-uh, my cousin said it's a legendary Pokemon! If you can catch it, it'll grant your wishes for life!"
He never listened to the stories. He made it around Cinnabar Island just fine, but still... He was always a little curious to see if there was any truth behind them.
It crossed his mind while he was working on some homework in his room, but he couldn't remember why he thought of it so suddenly. The room went dark -- too quickly, for sure -- and when he looked out the window he saw the beach.
He walked down the stairs leading to the first floor of the dorm building and... He was home. His mother was sitting at the living room table, staring at the television. A cup of coffee looked like it had been sitting there for weeks.
"... Mom...?"
"Hi! Red's been away. He hasn't called either, so I have no idea where he is or what he's been doing. They say no news is good news, but I do worry about him..."
"... I just called yesterday... Are you ok?"
"Hi! Red's been away. He hasn't called either, so I have no idea where he is or what he's been doing. They say no news is good news, but I do worry about him..."
"Mom! Snap out of it."
"Hi! Red's been away. He hasn't called either, so I have no idea where he is or what he's been doing. They say no news is good news, but I do worry about him..."
Red looked around his house, and then back at his mother. ...Was she... Wearing a wig...? He hesitated before he pulled it off. He stared at it, horrified, and his mother got up out of her chair. She shrugged off her apron, and then practically shook off the rest of her body until a man in a labcoat was standing in front of him.
"..."
"Son, I'm disappointed in you. You haven't called in ages."
"What...? Professor, what are you--"
"She really does get lonely a lot. It's ok, though, I've been keeping her company, if you know what I mean."
"You're not my--"
"Do you even know who he is? He could be anyone. Why," he took off another mask and the labcoat came off, "It could even be--"
All he saw was a familiar black suit before he whirled around and ran out the door.
All he could see was the ocean. He turned around -- he had just walked out of Cinnabar Island's Pokemon Center. Red took a few steps forward and-- he was on the coastline. He tried walking back the few feet to the Pokemon Center but every time he moved he just walked up and down the east side of the island. He was stuck.
Some kind of monolith rose out of the ocean. It never had the same shape twice, completely covered in static. "ASH," it spoke in a booming voice.
"What? That's not--"
"ASH. DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR EVERY DAY."
"..."
"IT'S YOU AND ME, ASH. I KNOW IT'S YOUR DESTINY."
"My name isn't--"
"OH. YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND, ASH," it continued. Red somehow missed the monolith growing, engulfing everything in its path. It started leaking into the island and spreading around the ocean, turning everything into a pixellated mess. "IN A WORLD WE MUST. DEFEND."
His Pokemon were gone. He tried to run, but the monster got his shoe. He frantically kicked it off and dove into the ocean, swimming for his life.
It followed him.
"ASH," it made a gurgling sound as it drew closer.
"GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL."
In reality, Red had several enlightening conversations with a potted plant and a tablecloth he took off of a table. Then he ran outside, marched up and down the same strip of sidewalk a few times, saw something terrifying in the sky, ran 10 feet, and faceplanted into the grass.
There were rumors lurking around Kanto and Johto. Silly rumors, but rumors nonetheless. Before he came to school, everyone had a friend of a friend's brother's friend that spoke about it, fearful and hushed. "Well, I heard that if you fly to Cinnabar Island from Viridian City at night and walk along the beach, you'll meet a mermaid and she gives you one wish."
"No, no, my brother said it was a fossil gone wrong! He said everyone on the island locks up and hides at night, or else it gets you."
"That's a load of crap, everyone knows a monster got out of that mansion. It comes back for revenge on dumb trainers that run around at night!"
"Nuh-uh, my cousin said it's a legendary Pokemon! If you can catch it, it'll grant your wishes for life!"
He never listened to the stories. He made it around Cinnabar Island just fine, but still... He was always a little curious to see if there was any truth behind them.
It crossed his mind while he was working on some homework in his room, but he couldn't remember why he thought of it so suddenly. The room went dark -- too quickly, for sure -- and when he looked out the window he saw the beach.
He walked down the stairs leading to the first floor of the dorm building and... He was home. His mother was sitting at the living room table, staring at the television. A cup of coffee looked like it had been sitting there for weeks.
"... Mom...?"
"Hi! Red's been away. He hasn't called either, so I have no idea where he is or what he's been doing. They say no news is good news, but I do worry about him..."
"... I just called yesterday... Are you ok?"
"Hi! Red's been away. He hasn't called either, so I have no idea where he is or what he's been doing. They say no news is good news, but I do worry about him..."
"Mom! Snap out of it."
"Hi! Red's been away. He hasn't called either, so I have no idea where he is or what he's been doing. They say no news is good news, but I do worry about him..."
Red looked around his house, and then back at his mother. ...Was she... Wearing a wig...? He hesitated before he pulled it off. He stared at it, horrified, and his mother got up out of her chair. She shrugged off her apron, and then practically shook off the rest of her body until a man in a labcoat was standing in front of him.
"..."
"Son, I'm disappointed in you. You haven't called in ages."
"What...? Professor, what are you--"
"She really does get lonely a lot. It's ok, though, I've been keeping her company, if you know what I mean."
"You're not my--"
"Do you even know who he is? He could be anyone. Why," he took off another mask and the labcoat came off, "It could even be--"
All he saw was a familiar black suit before he whirled around and ran out the door.
All he could see was the ocean. He turned around -- he had just walked out of Cinnabar Island's Pokemon Center. Red took a few steps forward and-- he was on the coastline. He tried walking back the few feet to the Pokemon Center but every time he moved he just walked up and down the east side of the island. He was stuck.
Some kind of monolith rose out of the ocean. It never had the same shape twice, completely covered in static. "ASH," it spoke in a booming voice.
"What? That's not--"
"ASH. DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR EVERY DAY."
"..."
"IT'S YOU AND ME, ASH. I KNOW IT'S YOUR DESTINY."
"My name isn't--"
"OH. YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND, ASH," it continued. Red somehow missed the monolith growing, engulfing everything in its path. It started leaking into the island and spreading around the ocean, turning everything into a pixellated mess. "IN A WORLD WE MUST. DEFEND."
His Pokemon were gone. He tried to run, but the monster got his shoe. He frantically kicked it off and dove into the ocean, swimming for his life.
It followed him.
"ASH," it made a gurgling sound as it drew closer.
"GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL."
In reality, Red had several enlightening conversations with a potted plant and a tablecloth he took off of a table. Then he ran outside, marched up and down the same strip of sidewalk a few times, saw something terrifying in the sky, ran 10 feet, and faceplanted into the grass.