Chapter 3: A New World
Caleb awoke in an unfamiliar clearing surrounded by lush, green trees, he looked down at his hands and they were stubby and orange.
“So it wasn’t a dream…I really have become a Charmander.” he whispered to himself before noticing a Piplup nearby that was out cold.
Caleb walked over to him and lightly shook him, his eyes fluttered open and he quickly jumped on his feet and scurried back and put his flippers in a defensive position over his head.
“Please don’t hurt me! I didn’t do anything to you.” He said, Caleb’s eyes widened “Callum, is that you?” Caleb asked the mysterious blue monster.
“Yeah...wait, is that you Caleb?” Callum asked. Caleb nodded before trying to wrap his arms around Callum to give him a hug.
“Where are we?” Callum asked, looking expectantly at Caleb.
“You two are in the Emerald Forest.” A mysterious voice responded, the boys looked at the spot where the voice originated to see a lone Snivy wearing a green and blue scarf with a triangular pattern on it.
“How much of our conversation did you overhear?” Caleb asked the strange Pokémon.
“Almost all of it, by the way my name is Charlotte!” She answered, smiling.
The boys looked at each other before Callum asked Charlotte “Did you happen to overhear our names?” She nodded “If you want I can lead you out of this Mystery Dungeon. After all, my dream is to be in a rescue team!” The boys looked at each other in confusion and then looked back at Charlotte.
“What is a Mystery Dungeon?” They asked in unison.
Charlotte’s eyes widened “Are you pulling my leg? Everyone knows what a Mystery Dungeon is...unless you’re from a different world or something.” she joked, causing the boys to suddenly go silent. “A Mystery Dungeon is a place that is always changing like a labyrinth. Wild Pokémon make their homes here, but they can be very territorial to the point where they will knock out any unsuspecting Mon.” Charlotte explained.
Emerald Forest BF1
Caleb nodded and responded “I guess we have no choice but to follow you, as we are kinda new at fighting. Charlotte nodded and led the way while the brothers followed.
“I guess I’ll have to teach you how to attack, despite being a different type.” Charlotte mumbled to herself before looking at the duo and asking. “You know about type advantages and disadvantages, correct?”
The boys nodded and Caleb spoke up. “Fire burns Grass, Grass absorbs Water, and Water smoulders Fire!” Charlotte nodded before the trio stumbled upon a wild Weedle.
“Alright Caleb, you’re up! Try to spit a fireball at it!” Charlotte instructed, Caleb nodded and felt a small fireball erupt from his stomach and make its way up to the inside of his mouth, and then finally releasing it from his mouth and successfully hitting the Weedle and knocking it out cold.
“That was extremely uncomfortable!” Caleb said gagging, then Callum came up to his brother and whispered to him.
“What did it feel like to attack with your fire?” Caleb had to think about it for a moment before responding.
“It felt like I was hurling, but without the awful aftertaste.” Suddenly the group was faced with an unnatural looking staircase that stuck out like a sore thumb. Charlotte turned towards the boys and beckoned them to follow.
“This way.” She said before beginning to climb, the brothers shrugged at each other before following their new companion.
Emerald Forest BF2
Once the trio emerged from the staircase, Callum and Caleb turned around only to see that the staircase they had climbed had mysteriously disappeared. Callum turned to Charlotte and asked. “Where did the stairs go?”
Charlotte thought about it for a moment before answering with a shrug. “Nobody knows, not even Arceus. It has always been one of life’s greatest mysteries.” The boys looked at each other and shared the same concerned expression before continuing on. After a few minutes of mindless wandering, the trio encountered a Geodude.
“Callum, it’s your turn!” Charlotte exclaimed, Callum then nodded and puffed up his cheek and released a stream of water from his beak that successfully hit the opposing Geodude causing it to faint. “Excellent job, you’re a natural!” Charlotte praised, causing him to blush.
“Th-Thanks… I-It was No-Nothing” Callum stammered nervously in response causing Caleb to giggle.
“Alright you two, only one more floor to complete, Then I’ll show you around my hometown. It isn’t very often we get visitors!” Charlotte said excitedly before continuing to speak. “Speaking of, where are you guys from?” she asked the boys as the group climbed another set of stairs.
Emerald Forest BF3
Once the trio had successfully reached the third floor, the brothers managed to convince Charlotte to sit down on a stump to listen.
“The truth is, me and my brother aren’t actually Pokémon, we are actually from a different dimension, and-“ Caleb was suddenly interrupted by Callum.
“We were brought here by Arceus, we are actually Hu-“ Caleb covered Callum’s mouth before he could finish the sentence and gave his little brother a disapproving look, meanwhile Charlotte’s jaw dropped.
“You… Met… Arceus!? Charlotte stammered, the brothers nodded with the utmost seriousness. “Did he say why he brought you here?” Charlotte asked the boys and they shook their heads.
“Nope… he didn’t mention anything about why he did it.” Caleb responded to Charlotte’s question and sighed. Charlotte pondered it before resuming their journey, which was uninterrupted the rest of the way. Once the group had reached the exit, they emerged from a sizable opening in the trees, Charlotte of course being the first to emerge followed by the brothers.
“Welcome to my home, Maple Town” Charlotte said with an outstretched hand.