It only seemed appropriate that the first sighting was thought to be simply the product of some coincidental mutation. A caterpillar that just happened to resemble a familiar creature of a more… fictional nature. A lot of people could manage to ignore the fact that it was the spitting image of a Caterpie, even the fact that it had a surreal, stylized appearance just like that of the counterpart of that popular franchise. Just a trivial little discovery… That was… until plenty more of them were discovered, alongside cocoons with eyes and massive butterflies with big shoe-like feet. Then the not-so-docile creatures began to arrive. Massive hornets with drill-like limbs, bipedal crocodilians, dragons… There was no denying it any further, the world of Pokemon, seemingly pure fantasy and a corporate goldmine, had entered reality.
It was unfortunate then, that creatures of such phenomenal, inexplicable power, were far deadlier by real-life standards. Though they were shockingly sapient in nature at times, they became highly territorial in their new habitats, and unsuspecting casualties began to skyrocket. These were not child-friendly beings that one could simply walk up to and playfully interact with, any more than wild animals were. The issue was that most wild animals either ran from humans or didn’t occupy the same space. This wasn’t the case for the Pokemon that appeared in established cities and towns. Fortunately, governing bodies were quick to crackdown on these surreal invaders, and militaries for the respective nations managed to react in time to evacuate surviving citizens from the locations the Pokemon were sighted.
The monsters themselves were properly contained in the areas they were spotted, regions that were codenamed after the regions from the games: Kanto, the first sighting, conveniently enough within the similarly titled region of Japan, Johto, a space in eastern China, Sinnoh, located in western Russia, Hoenn, within the Caribbean Islands, Unova, just north of New York City, Kalos, in the center of France and Alola, along the coast of Kauai. Within the duress and confusion of the situation, each government in charge of these regions agreed to maintain them in a similar fashion. It started with militarized borders, before walls were eventually built. Conveniently enough, no further steps seemed necessary, as these fantastical creatures seemed perfectly fine with making their homes out of their point of arrival. Nonetheless, the skies and the ground beneath were monitored to the greatest extent possible, in case any decided to expand their snagged territory. It all came down to keeping everyone else out, and that soon proved to be far more difficult than any of the authorities hoped. After all, this was suddenly a world of Pokemon. It was only a matter of time before the trainers started showing up.
---
“We have recently been informed that the police have detained an individual who attempted to cross the border into the region where these Pokemon have been sighted and have remained for the past 18 months. The identity of this failed infiltrator has yet to be officially divulged by the authorities.”
The morning news quietly carried on through the small television beside the recently deputized officer preparing for his first day patrolling the wall. It seemed to Wayland, and plenty of the other younger members of the force, like quite the lucrative job, having that supposed front-row seat to all the bizarre, freakish creatures straight out of their childhood nostalgia. Unfortunately, he’d been informed most of the Pokemon had made a point to avoid the borders after the initial encounter. One would have to get a bit deeper into the restricted zone to really catch more than a glimpse, but still, this was the closest he felt he’d ever get within the law. That was good enough. It was the best chance anyone could get to see those things beyond the footage picked up in the earliest days after the arrival.
“Always thought it would be military job…” Wayland quietly murmured to himself as the news shifted to an editorial program where the anchors began to debate amongst themselves whether the police could handle such a daunting task on their own. Admittedly the National Guard had been heavily involved at the start, but after the barricades were set, they seemed to immediately pull out, leaving it up to the local law enforcement to keep the peace. So far, as far as anyone knew, they’d done an impeccable job at it. That didn’t stop the concerns of course, that something would inevitably sneak by. It didn’t help that the occasional ethical debate would spring up every couple of weeks as well. The Unova Region mostly covered Adirondack Park, and the barring-off of a forest preserve to the public as detainment for once-fictional monsters did not sit well with everybody. No one had a reasonable alternative, aside from yelling about how much of a tragedy it was for the normal animals that were surely being slaughtered in droves, despite a lack of visual evidence. Wayland could only pray that his first day on patrol would lack a protest to quell as he poured himself a coffee, staring at his work uniform set out on the table.
It was a short drive to the border, the wall being clearly visible from a fair distance, though the small station attached to it only really came into view when Wayland drove into the parking lot. These were the only way legally to traverse the wall in any fashion, and naturally, they were constantly secured and under continual surveillance. Flashing his badge and ID through each detector he passed through, the young deputy was escorted into the office of his superior, a basic room, clearly not the man’s primary office, more a temporary space for when he was about. The older man, always looking somber with his droopy, graying mustache and sunken-in face, greeted Wayland with a nod as the officer who escorted him in was dismissed. On the table, there was a closed briefcase, abundantly secured with locks of varying designs.
“Alright son, let’s get this out of the way, what I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room,” Sheriff Cherry gruffly said, his voice toned down as if to assure it didn’t even reach the one doorway available. This was not the introduction that Wayland had expected, and his look of befuddlement was not lost on his superior. “I’m gonna explain all this to you, but I need you to understand that first and foremost, the conversation we’re about to have, will not have happened at all once you go out that door. Understand me?”
“Yes sir, I understand,” Wayland said, sternly, despite the confusion.
“Okay, now, let’s get down to brass tacks on this. Wayland, you’re not gonna be patrolling the walls despite what you’ve been told…” the sheriff said, the information feeling like a punch to the gut for the deputy officer. Something he’d been looking forward to since this whole debacle started and now it was being pulled right out from under him? It all seemed like quite the cause for outrage.
“S-sir, please, if I’ve done something that misplaced your trust, I assure you whatever it is I’ll remedy the situation. Surely it couldn’t have been enough to have me pulled from-”
“Let me finish!” Rarely did the older man ever raise his voice, and for good reason. When he did, he quieted a room immediately. Wayland’s lips were sealed as he simply stood by. “Now, the reason why I’m not gonna have you patrolling the walls is very simple. You know that kid we reported attempting to infiltrate the region?”
“Yes sir, you never divulged their name though.”
“Well we’re about to, because we managed to figure out his identity. Unfortunately, he managed to slip out of our grasp and he’s reportedly running about Unova completely unmonitored,” Cherry explained, Wayland’s eyes widening at the news.
“Oh my god… This is the first I’ve heard of it sir, who is this idiot?”
Cherry scoffed a little at that, amused that his deputy didn’t seem to get the hint. “Well, you might just know him. Fella goes by the name of Wayland Sharpe.” That seemed to be all the implicating required, as the younger cop’s eyes didn’t look like they could get any wider. “Looks like we’re nearing the same page. Sharpe, we’ve been keeping this story under wraps because we know those damn media hounds would have a heyday with it if they caught wind. Underground fighting rings have been springing up in every one of these regions, dumbass kids finding ways of getting through the wall and using those monstrosities for sport. We only figured this out a couple weeks ago too. Interpol informed us the Japanese got a fella undercover to find out where their infiltrators were running off to, said it was a worldwide thing. We need to put this down, but there’s a real good chance this whole thing has grown way out of control if it’s gone global. Our best option with our lack of info is to try getting an inside man of our own, to at least figure out what we’re dealing with here in our region. That’s where you come in.” As he spoke, Cherry began unlocking the highly secured briefcase, though Wayland was still too flabbergasted to notice.
“Sir, I see where you’re going with this, but, how am I supposed to infiltrate a fighting ring like that? Without any Pokemon or anything?” His answer came as the briefcase was unclasped, and Cherry opened it up to reveal a single spherical capsule with a highly recognizable red and white color scheme.
“These started showing up a few days before the security lines were established. Looks to me like you know what it is?”
“Well, I… yes sir, that’s a Pokeball...” Wayland responded once he managed to regain his voice from the disbelief.
“Alright, good, looks like I got the right guy for the job, not like you have much of a choice now that I explained this much to you. We sent a squad in a few days ago to detain one of those… things, once we figured out how the capture process works. Managed to get a pretty damn durable one from the looks of it, we were lucky not to lose anyone on that job,” Cherry said as Wayland cautiously gripped the iconic device, observing it in detail. It was quite small, his hand could easily close around it entirely in this state.
“I… assume it changes size somehow?” he asked, getting a nod before the sheriff went on to explain in further detail.
“You press that button on the middle and it’ll get around the size of a baseball. That’s when it’s active. We haven’t tested it ourselves yet, mostly on account of wanting to make sure our catch will perceive you as its master, but since all it took to capture something was to toss it at the target, I’m gonna make an educated guess here and say you just gotta toss it again while it’s in that form and it’ll release the little bugger inside.” Cherry went quiet for a few moments after that, reaching under the table, gesturing as if he were pressing some kind of hidden button underneath. “Now listen good, Sharpe, in 50 seconds I’m gonna leave this room, you’ll have 5 minutes to change out of your uniform and switch it with the clothing in the box behind me…” Indeed, there was a package subtly positioned behind the sheriff’s chair, the civilian disguise likely contained within. “You keep your bulletproof vest on though, you might just need that. Leave your badge, keep your phone, and your gun, concealed. After your five minutes are up, the door leading into Unova’s gonna be unlocked, and the cameras in that area will be deactivated for 10 seconds, you have that much time to get through those doors and out of sight. Far as the rest of the force will be concerned, you’re a fugitive. If you’re caught, you’ll be on your own. Find absolute proof of this fighting ring and whoever’s in charge of it. Contact me on the number written within the box, otherwise, that phone stays quiet. Good luck, deputy.”
Cherry moved away from the desk and out the door at that, and though a maelstrom of questions was swirling through the young officer’s head, Wayland knew full well the clock was ticking. Hurriedly, he moved to open the box, pulling out the simple getup of a charcoal t-shirt with black sleeves, a grey jacket, and black cargo slacks, plentiful with pockets. Inside as well was a small slip of paper with the phone-number the sheriff had told him about, which he safely slipped in the jacket’s front pocket. He counted the seconds in his head, he was passing 3 minutes by the time he had his new clothes on and his uniform folded in the box, his badge nestled at the top. He was reluctant to let it go after such a short time having it, proudly wearing it, but there was little time for sentiment. 30 seconds left. Wayland had everything equipped, his handgun and pokeball now stowed within a compartment inside his jacket as he calmly walked out the sheriff’s office and towards the steel door that led to what might as well have been an entirely different world. 5 seconds… 4…3…2…1… The door gave a light click. Time to go. Wayland shoved aside his hesitations, his sense of duty motivating him to grip the door’s handle, his childish fantasies egging him to push it open, and a mixture of both encouraging him to take those first few steps, before breaking out into a full sprint, into the deep forestation up ahead. From here on in, he was an undercover cop, a criminal to the public… and an honest-to-god Pokemon trainer. He’d vanished from sight by the time the cameras were back online, running through the trees of New York’s massive forest preserve, the chirps of common birds and insects slowly giving way to the echoes of far more… unbelievable specimens that now surrounded him.
It was unfortunate then, that creatures of such phenomenal, inexplicable power, were far deadlier by real-life standards. Though they were shockingly sapient in nature at times, they became highly territorial in their new habitats, and unsuspecting casualties began to skyrocket. These were not child-friendly beings that one could simply walk up to and playfully interact with, any more than wild animals were. The issue was that most wild animals either ran from humans or didn’t occupy the same space. This wasn’t the case for the Pokemon that appeared in established cities and towns. Fortunately, governing bodies were quick to crackdown on these surreal invaders, and militaries for the respective nations managed to react in time to evacuate surviving citizens from the locations the Pokemon were sighted.
The monsters themselves were properly contained in the areas they were spotted, regions that were codenamed after the regions from the games: Kanto, the first sighting, conveniently enough within the similarly titled region of Japan, Johto, a space in eastern China, Sinnoh, located in western Russia, Hoenn, within the Caribbean Islands, Unova, just north of New York City, Kalos, in the center of France and Alola, along the coast of Kauai. Within the duress and confusion of the situation, each government in charge of these regions agreed to maintain them in a similar fashion. It started with militarized borders, before walls were eventually built. Conveniently enough, no further steps seemed necessary, as these fantastical creatures seemed perfectly fine with making their homes out of their point of arrival. Nonetheless, the skies and the ground beneath were monitored to the greatest extent possible, in case any decided to expand their snagged territory. It all came down to keeping everyone else out, and that soon proved to be far more difficult than any of the authorities hoped. After all, this was suddenly a world of Pokemon. It was only a matter of time before the trainers started showing up.
---
“We have recently been informed that the police have detained an individual who attempted to cross the border into the region where these Pokemon have been sighted and have remained for the past 18 months. The identity of this failed infiltrator has yet to be officially divulged by the authorities.”
The morning news quietly carried on through the small television beside the recently deputized officer preparing for his first day patrolling the wall. It seemed to Wayland, and plenty of the other younger members of the force, like quite the lucrative job, having that supposed front-row seat to all the bizarre, freakish creatures straight out of their childhood nostalgia. Unfortunately, he’d been informed most of the Pokemon had made a point to avoid the borders after the initial encounter. One would have to get a bit deeper into the restricted zone to really catch more than a glimpse, but still, this was the closest he felt he’d ever get within the law. That was good enough. It was the best chance anyone could get to see those things beyond the footage picked up in the earliest days after the arrival.
“Always thought it would be military job…” Wayland quietly murmured to himself as the news shifted to an editorial program where the anchors began to debate amongst themselves whether the police could handle such a daunting task on their own. Admittedly the National Guard had been heavily involved at the start, but after the barricades were set, they seemed to immediately pull out, leaving it up to the local law enforcement to keep the peace. So far, as far as anyone knew, they’d done an impeccable job at it. That didn’t stop the concerns of course, that something would inevitably sneak by. It didn’t help that the occasional ethical debate would spring up every couple of weeks as well. The Unova Region mostly covered Adirondack Park, and the barring-off of a forest preserve to the public as detainment for once-fictional monsters did not sit well with everybody. No one had a reasonable alternative, aside from yelling about how much of a tragedy it was for the normal animals that were surely being slaughtered in droves, despite a lack of visual evidence. Wayland could only pray that his first day on patrol would lack a protest to quell as he poured himself a coffee, staring at his work uniform set out on the table.
It was a short drive to the border, the wall being clearly visible from a fair distance, though the small station attached to it only really came into view when Wayland drove into the parking lot. These were the only way legally to traverse the wall in any fashion, and naturally, they were constantly secured and under continual surveillance. Flashing his badge and ID through each detector he passed through, the young deputy was escorted into the office of his superior, a basic room, clearly not the man’s primary office, more a temporary space for when he was about. The older man, always looking somber with his droopy, graying mustache and sunken-in face, greeted Wayland with a nod as the officer who escorted him in was dismissed. On the table, there was a closed briefcase, abundantly secured with locks of varying designs.
“Alright son, let’s get this out of the way, what I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room,” Sheriff Cherry gruffly said, his voice toned down as if to assure it didn’t even reach the one doorway available. This was not the introduction that Wayland had expected, and his look of befuddlement was not lost on his superior. “I’m gonna explain all this to you, but I need you to understand that first and foremost, the conversation we’re about to have, will not have happened at all once you go out that door. Understand me?”
“Yes sir, I understand,” Wayland said, sternly, despite the confusion.
“Okay, now, let’s get down to brass tacks on this. Wayland, you’re not gonna be patrolling the walls despite what you’ve been told…” the sheriff said, the information feeling like a punch to the gut for the deputy officer. Something he’d been looking forward to since this whole debacle started and now it was being pulled right out from under him? It all seemed like quite the cause for outrage.
“S-sir, please, if I’ve done something that misplaced your trust, I assure you whatever it is I’ll remedy the situation. Surely it couldn’t have been enough to have me pulled from-”
“Let me finish!” Rarely did the older man ever raise his voice, and for good reason. When he did, he quieted a room immediately. Wayland’s lips were sealed as he simply stood by. “Now, the reason why I’m not gonna have you patrolling the walls is very simple. You know that kid we reported attempting to infiltrate the region?”
“Yes sir, you never divulged their name though.”
“Well we’re about to, because we managed to figure out his identity. Unfortunately, he managed to slip out of our grasp and he’s reportedly running about Unova completely unmonitored,” Cherry explained, Wayland’s eyes widening at the news.
“Oh my god… This is the first I’ve heard of it sir, who is this idiot?”
Cherry scoffed a little at that, amused that his deputy didn’t seem to get the hint. “Well, you might just know him. Fella goes by the name of Wayland Sharpe.” That seemed to be all the implicating required, as the younger cop’s eyes didn’t look like they could get any wider. “Looks like we’re nearing the same page. Sharpe, we’ve been keeping this story under wraps because we know those damn media hounds would have a heyday with it if they caught wind. Underground fighting rings have been springing up in every one of these regions, dumbass kids finding ways of getting through the wall and using those monstrosities for sport. We only figured this out a couple weeks ago too. Interpol informed us the Japanese got a fella undercover to find out where their infiltrators were running off to, said it was a worldwide thing. We need to put this down, but there’s a real good chance this whole thing has grown way out of control if it’s gone global. Our best option with our lack of info is to try getting an inside man of our own, to at least figure out what we’re dealing with here in our region. That’s where you come in.” As he spoke, Cherry began unlocking the highly secured briefcase, though Wayland was still too flabbergasted to notice.
“Sir, I see where you’re going with this, but, how am I supposed to infiltrate a fighting ring like that? Without any Pokemon or anything?” His answer came as the briefcase was unclasped, and Cherry opened it up to reveal a single spherical capsule with a highly recognizable red and white color scheme.
“These started showing up a few days before the security lines were established. Looks to me like you know what it is?”
“Well, I… yes sir, that’s a Pokeball...” Wayland responded once he managed to regain his voice from the disbelief.
“Alright, good, looks like I got the right guy for the job, not like you have much of a choice now that I explained this much to you. We sent a squad in a few days ago to detain one of those… things, once we figured out how the capture process works. Managed to get a pretty damn durable one from the looks of it, we were lucky not to lose anyone on that job,” Cherry said as Wayland cautiously gripped the iconic device, observing it in detail. It was quite small, his hand could easily close around it entirely in this state.
“I… assume it changes size somehow?” he asked, getting a nod before the sheriff went on to explain in further detail.
“You press that button on the middle and it’ll get around the size of a baseball. That’s when it’s active. We haven’t tested it ourselves yet, mostly on account of wanting to make sure our catch will perceive you as its master, but since all it took to capture something was to toss it at the target, I’m gonna make an educated guess here and say you just gotta toss it again while it’s in that form and it’ll release the little bugger inside.” Cherry went quiet for a few moments after that, reaching under the table, gesturing as if he were pressing some kind of hidden button underneath. “Now listen good, Sharpe, in 50 seconds I’m gonna leave this room, you’ll have 5 minutes to change out of your uniform and switch it with the clothing in the box behind me…” Indeed, there was a package subtly positioned behind the sheriff’s chair, the civilian disguise likely contained within. “You keep your bulletproof vest on though, you might just need that. Leave your badge, keep your phone, and your gun, concealed. After your five minutes are up, the door leading into Unova’s gonna be unlocked, and the cameras in that area will be deactivated for 10 seconds, you have that much time to get through those doors and out of sight. Far as the rest of the force will be concerned, you’re a fugitive. If you’re caught, you’ll be on your own. Find absolute proof of this fighting ring and whoever’s in charge of it. Contact me on the number written within the box, otherwise, that phone stays quiet. Good luck, deputy.”
Cherry moved away from the desk and out the door at that, and though a maelstrom of questions was swirling through the young officer’s head, Wayland knew full well the clock was ticking. Hurriedly, he moved to open the box, pulling out the simple getup of a charcoal t-shirt with black sleeves, a grey jacket, and black cargo slacks, plentiful with pockets. Inside as well was a small slip of paper with the phone-number the sheriff had told him about, which he safely slipped in the jacket’s front pocket. He counted the seconds in his head, he was passing 3 minutes by the time he had his new clothes on and his uniform folded in the box, his badge nestled at the top. He was reluctant to let it go after such a short time having it, proudly wearing it, but there was little time for sentiment. 30 seconds left. Wayland had everything equipped, his handgun and pokeball now stowed within a compartment inside his jacket as he calmly walked out the sheriff’s office and towards the steel door that led to what might as well have been an entirely different world. 5 seconds… 4…3…2…1… The door gave a light click. Time to go. Wayland shoved aside his hesitations, his sense of duty motivating him to grip the door’s handle, his childish fantasies egging him to push it open, and a mixture of both encouraging him to take those first few steps, before breaking out into a full sprint, into the deep forestation up ahead. From here on in, he was an undercover cop, a criminal to the public… and an honest-to-god Pokemon trainer. He’d vanished from sight by the time the cameras were back online, running through the trees of New York’s massive forest preserve, the chirps of common birds and insects slowly giving way to the echoes of far more… unbelievable specimens that now surrounded him.