Told from the perspective of Matt from Pokémon Ranger and the Gardener of Gratitude.
-----------------------------------
Prologue: Beginning
"Grandson, your essay on the properties of Spheres from the Underground was quite impressive. Good work."
Light from the full moon outside the finely furnished office shined in through its large picture window, on the two men inside. One was elderly, his pale blue hair spreading out in sloppy protrusions over his shoulders. His messy beard matched his hair while he wore a sharp blue suit with a green undershirt. The other person in the room was much younger, a yellow-haired young man wearing blue-tinted glasses and a similar blue shirt with mintgreen diamonds, the color of which matched his pants.
"You were impressed by it?"
"Very much so. Your analysis on how the Spheres emit energy as they grow is ingenious." The old man turned to his desk. "Matt, that is why I am sending you away for a special course."
"A special course?" said Matt in wonder.
"Yes. I'm sending you to Hage Town in Sinnoh to study with my old student, Newton Graceland."
"THE Newton Graceland?!" Matt knew this name. His grandfather, a famous archeologist, had gone on many adventures with Newton Graceland in the past, and together they had gained great regard as explorers.
"Indeed. He's specifically asked for me to send you. He wants to see the kind of genius I've often told him you possess. You leave tomorrow morning, and don't worry, I'll look after Cassy for you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matt was sitting in an outdoor café in the center of a dried-out city of clay buildings, drinking tea with a sky blue-haired young girl in a frilly green dress.
"So that's how Sutter sent you to study with them?" she asked.
"Right, Eleanor. That's how it happened."
"So what happened once you got there?"
"Meeting them was relatively pleasant, I remember that..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hage Town was a community at the foot of a mountain range, only a few miles from an immense glacier. Its buildings were all constructed of fine wood, and were connected by wooden walkways.
Matt had arrived at night, so he had to walk through the town with only some moonlight, and he also had to navigate this maze alone while carrying his three suitcases. It did not take him long to find his destination, a giant building with few windows. At the door stood a rail-thin man whose graying orange hair and sunken face showed that he was beginning to lose the battle against aging, while his white lab coat hung over the blues that covered his gaunt frame.
"Ah, Matt!" he greeted jovially. "Sutter was saying you'd be arriving soon. I welcome you!"
"Doctor Newton Graceland. You're an impressive sight in person." Matt dropped his bags to the ground and sighed. "What's it like having been on so many adventures with him?"
"It's too soon for questions like that. Come in!"
As soon as Matt entered the building, another man - one much younger than Newton - came running. He was dressed exactly the same way, but he had long white hair that curled over one of his eyes. The young man picked up Matt's bags and nodded to Newton.
"That's my assistant, Viktor Zerossen. Everyone just calls him Zero though. You'll get to know him well since you're going to be working with him."
"Pleased to meet you," Zero said pleasantly. "I've been looking forward to working with you."
"Come, let's head in and I'll show you around."
Newton walked off, mumbling to himself. Matt and Zero followed him, but only after Matt reclaimed one of his bags in order to carry it himself. As the two headed down the hallway in the direction Newton had gone, they began conversing.
"So, uh..." Matt's thoughts went to his prospects with Newton and Zero. He began to wonder just what he'd take away after finishing his studies. "What do you guys do around here?"
"Have you ever heard of Hanten Sekai, the Reverse World?"
"Hat...uh...what? Reverse World? What's that?"
Zero cracked a smile. "The Reverse World, or Hanten Sekai as the scientific term calls it, is a beautiful, pure world on the reverse side of this world." Matt was still clearly confused, so Zero continued, "A good way to simplify it is to consider the Reverse World what is on the other side of a mirror. Here, we study the Reverse World and its properties in order to find ways to use it for the benefit of people."
"That's..." Though this was a lot of information to take in, Matt did manage to understand most of it, and was left in wonder. "I can't say I totally understand how there is another world opposite this one, but it sounds like a fascinating subject."
"It is."
At that moment Newton returned. A young girl was with him; one whose long, silky hair was highlighted with stripes of yellow. Her clothing was all normal blues and whites, but she possessed an unusual feature - her eyes were colored half red and half green.
"Matt, allow me to introduce you to the third member of our little family." Newton turned to the girl. "This is my daughter Synni, but we call her Infi."
"I'm happy to meet you, Matt," said the girl, bowing.
"Infi?" Again, Matt was confused. "Like, infinity?"
"It's a long story. She was the first person to call Viktor "Zero," so he commented that her name sounded like if the words "system" and "infinity" were combined, thus giving birth to the nickname Infi."
"That's kinda cute." Now it was Matt's turn to smirk. "Zero, you and Infi would make a cute couple."
"Stop!"
"Knock it off!" Infi snapped also.
"Heheh, sorry. Just joking. So when do we get to work?"
"Tomorrow. I hope you're alright with sharing a room with Zero though."
-------------------
Late that night, Matt lay awake in the top bunk of a two-bed setup letting his thoughts wander. Zero lay asleep in the bottom bunk snoring.
Hanten Sekai, the Reverse World... just what was it? Something he should have been aware of already? Perhaps Sutter knew something about it. Why else would he have chosen Newton to tutor his grandson, after all?
Nevertheless, he felt like he was about to be a part of something big. Exploring new worlds and parallel dimensions... it was the kind of science that even he had never done before.
"Mmph... Infi..."
Matt smiled. He always liked couples who looked cute together, and seeing Zero's obvious interest in Infi just made him happy.
He shut his eyes. Mouthing "good luck, Zero," he drifted off to sleep.
End of Prologue
-----------------------------------
Prologue: Beginning
"Grandson, your essay on the properties of Spheres from the Underground was quite impressive. Good work."
Light from the full moon outside the finely furnished office shined in through its large picture window, on the two men inside. One was elderly, his pale blue hair spreading out in sloppy protrusions over his shoulders. His messy beard matched his hair while he wore a sharp blue suit with a green undershirt. The other person in the room was much younger, a yellow-haired young man wearing blue-tinted glasses and a similar blue shirt with mintgreen diamonds, the color of which matched his pants.
"You were impressed by it?"
"Very much so. Your analysis on how the Spheres emit energy as they grow is ingenious." The old man turned to his desk. "Matt, that is why I am sending you away for a special course."
"A special course?" said Matt in wonder.
"Yes. I'm sending you to Hage Town in Sinnoh to study with my old student, Newton Graceland."
"THE Newton Graceland?!" Matt knew this name. His grandfather, a famous archeologist, had gone on many adventures with Newton Graceland in the past, and together they had gained great regard as explorers.
"Indeed. He's specifically asked for me to send you. He wants to see the kind of genius I've often told him you possess. You leave tomorrow morning, and don't worry, I'll look after Cassy for you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matt was sitting in an outdoor café in the center of a dried-out city of clay buildings, drinking tea with a sky blue-haired young girl in a frilly green dress.
"So that's how Sutter sent you to study with them?" she asked.
"Right, Eleanor. That's how it happened."
"So what happened once you got there?"
"Meeting them was relatively pleasant, I remember that..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hage Town was a community at the foot of a mountain range, only a few miles from an immense glacier. Its buildings were all constructed of fine wood, and were connected by wooden walkways.
Matt had arrived at night, so he had to walk through the town with only some moonlight, and he also had to navigate this maze alone while carrying his three suitcases. It did not take him long to find his destination, a giant building with few windows. At the door stood a rail-thin man whose graying orange hair and sunken face showed that he was beginning to lose the battle against aging, while his white lab coat hung over the blues that covered his gaunt frame.
"Ah, Matt!" he greeted jovially. "Sutter was saying you'd be arriving soon. I welcome you!"
"Doctor Newton Graceland. You're an impressive sight in person." Matt dropped his bags to the ground and sighed. "What's it like having been on so many adventures with him?"
"It's too soon for questions like that. Come in!"
As soon as Matt entered the building, another man - one much younger than Newton - came running. He was dressed exactly the same way, but he had long white hair that curled over one of his eyes. The young man picked up Matt's bags and nodded to Newton.
"That's my assistant, Viktor Zerossen. Everyone just calls him Zero though. You'll get to know him well since you're going to be working with him."
"Pleased to meet you," Zero said pleasantly. "I've been looking forward to working with you."
"Come, let's head in and I'll show you around."
Newton walked off, mumbling to himself. Matt and Zero followed him, but only after Matt reclaimed one of his bags in order to carry it himself. As the two headed down the hallway in the direction Newton had gone, they began conversing.
"So, uh..." Matt's thoughts went to his prospects with Newton and Zero. He began to wonder just what he'd take away after finishing his studies. "What do you guys do around here?"
"Have you ever heard of Hanten Sekai, the Reverse World?"
"Hat...uh...what? Reverse World? What's that?"
Zero cracked a smile. "The Reverse World, or Hanten Sekai as the scientific term calls it, is a beautiful, pure world on the reverse side of this world." Matt was still clearly confused, so Zero continued, "A good way to simplify it is to consider the Reverse World what is on the other side of a mirror. Here, we study the Reverse World and its properties in order to find ways to use it for the benefit of people."
"That's..." Though this was a lot of information to take in, Matt did manage to understand most of it, and was left in wonder. "I can't say I totally understand how there is another world opposite this one, but it sounds like a fascinating subject."
"It is."
At that moment Newton returned. A young girl was with him; one whose long, silky hair was highlighted with stripes of yellow. Her clothing was all normal blues and whites, but she possessed an unusual feature - her eyes were colored half red and half green.
"Matt, allow me to introduce you to the third member of our little family." Newton turned to the girl. "This is my daughter Synni, but we call her Infi."
"I'm happy to meet you, Matt," said the girl, bowing.
"Infi?" Again, Matt was confused. "Like, infinity?"
"It's a long story. She was the first person to call Viktor "Zero," so he commented that her name sounded like if the words "system" and "infinity" were combined, thus giving birth to the nickname Infi."
"That's kinda cute." Now it was Matt's turn to smirk. "Zero, you and Infi would make a cute couple."
"Stop!"
"Knock it off!" Infi snapped also.
"Heheh, sorry. Just joking. So when do we get to work?"
"Tomorrow. I hope you're alright with sharing a room with Zero though."
-------------------
Late that night, Matt lay awake in the top bunk of a two-bed setup letting his thoughts wander. Zero lay asleep in the bottom bunk snoring.
Hanten Sekai, the Reverse World... just what was it? Something he should have been aware of already? Perhaps Sutter knew something about it. Why else would he have chosen Newton to tutor his grandson, after all?
Nevertheless, he felt like he was about to be a part of something big. Exploring new worlds and parallel dimensions... it was the kind of science that even he had never done before.
"Mmph... Infi..."
Matt smiled. He always liked couples who looked cute together, and seeing Zero's obvious interest in Infi just made him happy.
He shut his eyes. Mouthing "good luck, Zero," he drifted off to sleep.
End of Prologue
