New Friends

Nearing the campfire, Vex slowed down, slipping behind some bushes and peeking out. Though he wanted nothing more then to just walk up a take a seat by the flames to warm himself up, he had to be patient. Surveying the area beforehand was the correct choice as he didn't know who was positioned by the fire. It could be a mass murderer and he wouldn't even have the means to protect himself at this moment. He had neither experience in self-defense nor any pokemon besides Squirtle. For now, he wanted to see just what he was dealing with.

Poking his head out from the bushes, Vex shifted his gaze over the scene in front of him. There were about three people huddled around the fire, two of them were talking to each other while the last was curled up in a sleeping bag. It was hard to tell what they looked like from the distance they were at, them being in the middle of a rather large clearing, but from Vex's perspective, they didn't look too menacing.

One of the two talking was a young girl around his age with honey hair and grey eyes and the other was a male though it was hard to make anything out due to his turned back. Spiky brown hair was probably what stood out the most to Vex as he watched the two of them chat for a while.

They didn't seem very vicious or intimidating; the girl even seemed nice in a way. The only problem was the one laying on the ground. Vex had no idea what that person looked like and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Of course, he wasn't just going to sit there all day so despite not figuring anything out besides what they looked like, he stood up and walked over. Running in without a plan wasn't his forte but as of this moment, he didn't particularly give a sh*t. He was tired and hungry and out of patience.

He had walked about six feet forward, catching the attention of the other two, before he was lifted off the ground and into the air, as if lifted by an invisible hand. He could still move in the air but he was stuck in that one spot a few meters above the ground. The force keeping him afloat didn't hurt but it also didnt feel entirely pleasant, as if there was a sort of vice on his lungs that made it difficult to breath.

"What the f*ck is this??!!" Vex shouted as he struggled to adjust himself. ((How the hell did I get up in the air?? A Pokemon?))

While Vex was busy flipping around and trying to get himself upright, the sleeping bag was unzipped and the person inside stood up. A young woman around the age of 18 or 19 years old stood up, long thigh length blonde hair catching in the wind. A rather loud yawn escaped the woman's lips as she rubbed her eyes before taking the time to stretch. After she was somewhat awake, the young woman walked over to Vex, completely ignoring the other two. Vex, who hadn't noticed her until she was almost in front of him, was a bit startled.

"Do you know why I'm making you float up in the air child?" The young woman spoke in a low sleepy voice but one that held hints of annoyance.

Vex, who was now getting used to the air suspension, put his hand to his chin now understanding how he was in the air. Psychic abilities. It didn't surprise him much however as he was already having a weird day. After thinking it over in his head, Vex said the first words that came to mind. "You have really long hair. Its quite lovely."

He wasn't even trying to flatter her as thats what he truly thought. Her hair was so long and fluffy yet was clearly well maintained. He couldn't even imagine how much shampoo and conditioner she used each time she took a shower. Girls already took a long time to get ready so he failed to understand why she would want the hassle of such long hair.

There was a pause, a brief hiatus in the girls words before she finally spoke again. "Its because you spied on us for a decent ten minutes before finally making your way over. As if hiding could conceal that monstrous aura around you."

"How much conditioner do you use each day?" Vex asked, completely disregarding what she had said. He didn't care about his own aura or getting caught spying. He just wanted to know how much she used and how much she spent a year on just hair products. He didnt even care that she was using psychic powers. It just went through one ear and out the other.

Caitlin grit her teeth in frustration. The male dangling in the air was completely ignoring everything she said and it was starting to seriously piss her off. She had to take deep breaths and try to keep calm otherwise she could destroy all the trees in her vicinity with her psychic powers alone. Though this child was irrtiating, she had to hold it together.

"Why were you spying on us?" Caitlin asked, her words snipped and full of authority. The lethargy in her voice had disappeared entirely as she glared at Vex with restrained hostility. "Who are you?"

Vex could suddenly feel the invisible force tightening, threatening to crush him. While he felt his heart being squeezed, a sort of sensation formed around his head. It was only now that he felt he was in danger as he struggled to breath.

"My....name is....Vex.....Masters." He managed to squeeze out as he struggled just to be able to breath.

Almost the second after he revealed his name, Vex was abruptly dropped onto the ground. Pain shot up his body as he landed on his knees, the agony shooting through his being like a tidal wave. Still though, the pressure that had nearly crushed the life out of him had dispersed, allowing him to breath once again. Little by little his head cleared and his heartbeat returned to normal.

"I'm so sorry, I didnt know you were Vex," Caitlin exclaimed apologetically as she hurried forward to help Vex up and onto his feet. "Sometimes I tend to get a bit carried away. Its a bad habit of mine, especially when I let my emotions slip."

"That was only a bit too far?" Vex asked incredulously as he rubbed his chest, the feeling of almost suffocating still lingered on his conscious. "Just how much were you holding back? Why act as if you know me?"

Caitlin gave a smile. "My name is Caitlin, a member of the Unova Elite Four and, from today onwards, I'll be your new teacher and instructor. You can thank me later. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Vex Masters."

Vex was at a loss for words. Things had taken a huge 180 and he felt as if Arceus had something to do with it. With the ability to appear in someone's dream or thoughts via the mindscape, Vex was almost certain Caitlin was here on that mans doing. As for the two young people behind Caitlin, Vex didn't know what role they played in everything. For all he knew, Arceus could have manipulated them as well some way or another.

"So let me get this straight," Vex said, gazing at Caitlin who was now all smiles. "Arceus contacted you and gave some information before sending you over here to train me as well as helping me become strongee. The two behind you were also contacted by Arceus or just happened to join you on your way here."

Caitlin looked surprised, but only for a second. A look of satisfaction appeared across her face as she held up a finger. "You can be quite smart when you want to be. I hope you can keep that same powerful vibe when I put you through the ringer. As for what you said, you're mostly correct. Everyone present arrived as a result of Arceus, except that it was against our wills. While those two appeared here from a lightning strike, I flew down here from the Unova region. It was only after I got here that they learned what happened to them."

"So if Arceus can just freely talk to people then why does he need us? Cant he use someone else to defeat Team Rocket?" Vex lowered his gaze, the gears turning in his head. "Getting people on his side sounds quite a bit easier then summoning me, someone who knows squat about Pokemon, to this world."

"Actually Arceus can't freely talk to people at all," Caitlin explained. "You're special in the sense that you have a special mind thats running on the same wavelength as his. The only reason I could speak with him is because of my psychic abilities. Of course there are some exceptions such as certain Professors who shall not be named. In other words, the two behind me were forced into this without knowing anything. As for why you were summoned and why Arceus seems to rely on you so heavily...I got no clue."

Vex nodded, understanding a bit more. He should've known there was some reason Arceus was going through all the trouble of summoning others. With the inability to contact the world without his plates, he could only watch the world fall into the hands of Team Rocket, to watch millions of pokemon become tools of murder and another few million to die or be abused. In this case, doing just about anything was much better then sitting around for the worst future to come around. If it was him in Arceus's position, he'd probably do the same thing as well. Although the question of why Arceus relied on him more then this elite trainer, he had no clue.

"Enough chatting amongst ourselves," Caitlin said. "Come meet the other two. The girls' name is Serena and the boys name is Brock. They're nice and will be of help on your journey."

The girl named Serena stepped forward, a rather shy look on her face. She was rather cute to say the least. Serena's outfit consisted of a grayish-black tank-top with a white collar, a red double waist side buttons pleated skirt, a dark pink hat with a black bow and hatband, black stockings, and black shoes. On her shoulder she carried a pink bag with black decals on it. The whole image was adorable, but due to the nature of the world, Vex couldn't help but keep his guard up.

"Hello Serena," Vex said with a gentle smile as he introduced himself. "My name is Vex Masters and its a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand politely, hoping he didn't seem too menacing.

Serena eventually took his hand and shook it, her grey eyes now showing no traces of her previous shy self. "Its nice to meet you Vex. As you know, I am Serena."

After going over the introductions with her, Vex turned his attention to Brock who was standing some distance to the left of Serena. He wore an orange t-shirt, a lime green cargo vest with 4 pockets, a dark brown belt with a gold buckle and dark red pockets, brown jeans, and blue-gray sneakers with white trim. The first impression Vex got was that this guy was pretty cool although he had trouble seeing the guys eyes and he was also quite tan which made Vex curious.

"Brock was it?" Vex asked as he took a few steps over. "Its a pleasure to meet you." As he did with Serena, he held out his hand.

Brock took his hand without hesitation. "Its a pleasure. I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise." Vex took a few steps back and looked at the two of them. "Now, where did the two of you come from? You were forced here just like I was correct?"

Serena hesitated for few moments before finally speaking. "I'm from the Kalos region. I arrived here a few days ago. I wandered around a bit until I met Ms.Caitlin. I've been with her ever since."

"As for me, I'm actually from here. I'm the Gym Leader of Pewter city." Brock adjusted the large backpack slung over his shoulders. "It took me a while but I was able to convince my dad to take my place. It was a hassle of calling from the Pokemon Center but here I am. Its a pleasure to be here."

After Brock finished, Vex nodded absently before responding. "I.....have to go to the bathroom real quick. Do you think you could watch after my Pokemon for a bit?"

Dropping his bag onto the ground, Vex pulled out the two pokeballs and threw them. After a brief flash of light, Pikachu and Leonardo stood tall. Pikachu looked a lot better then he had earlier, being able to walk and bounce around once again. Gathering the pokeballs from the floor, Vex placed them on the belt at his waist, feeling it was a better spot.

"Sure, I'll look after them," Brock said as he walked back towards the fire. "I'll whip up something for them. I love making food for Pokemon."

Vex hadn't heard him quite clearly because he had already darted away towards the cover of darkness. He didn't actually have to go to the bathroom, he just wanted to be alone for a second. After he got his thoughts sorted out then he would head back to the campfire and go to sleep.

After making it a decent ways away, Vex skidded to a stop. Taking the time to catch his breath, he looked around to make sure no one was around, though he couldn't see much in the darkness that surrounded him. At that moment though he didn't reallt care as he took a deep breath and sat down at the base of a rather large tree.

Vex pulled out the red plate he had found earlier, a palm-sized disk that radiated a red color that shifted and turned. This was the first of sixteen plates that Arceus had instructed him to find. With each plate, he was told that it could be integrated into the corresponding Pokemon type to drastically increase its combat ability.

"Okay, so this is the fighting-type plate." Vex flipped it over in his hands. "I guess I'll be needing a fighting type in order to use it. After I'm stronger and a better trainer, I'll catch one and use this item."